Friday 18 July 2014

SSG Swearing-In: Adamawa PDP Chieftains, Lawmakers In Near Fisticuffs



acting governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Ahmad Umaru Fintiri
           
There was confusion at the Council Chambers of Government House, Yola, over the sitting arrangement during the swearing-in of the newly appointed secretary to the state government, Professor Abdullahi Liman Tukur, by acting governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
Government House protocol officials had a hectic time trying to calm a fracas that ensued between PDP executive members and state lawmakers over who should be given preference in the sitting arrangement, as the PDP executives who were the first to enter the hall refused to leave the seats for the lawmakers.
The development led to serious altercation as the legislators and the PDP executive started trading abusive words, claiming superiority in the fight that ousted Murtala Nyako’s government and led to the emergence of Ahmadu Fintiri as acting governor.
The confusion delayed the swearing-in ceremony for close to an hour as the protocol officials were left helpless, even as the two groups continued to exchange abusive words.
The intervention of top security personnel and other government officials prevented the situation from degenerating into fisticuffs.
Local government chairmen, who were put in one obscure corner for the ceremony, equally complained that they were not properly accorded their rightful positions in the scheme of things.
But the chairmen were told in clear terms that they did not deserve any recognition, as they were accused of serving the previous regime.
Meanwhile, the majority leader of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Ishaq Bala, has been removed. Ishaq, who is a member representing Yola North constituency, was removed for not supporting the impeachment of Nyako.
Hon. Ishaq Bala was accordingly replaced by Salishu Kabilo from Verre constituency as the new majority leader of the House.

Acting governor scraps SPPU, dissolve Nyako’s cabinet
The acting governor of Adamawa State Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has ordered the scrapping of the Special Projects and Programmes Unit (SPPU) under Government House.
The decision of the state government was contained in a press release signed by Solomon Kumangar, director, press and public affairs, Government House, Yola.
The acting governor directed the head of service to retrieve all government property in the custody of the unit immediately.
According to the acting governor, SPPU, an ad-hoc body, has been a subject of controversy since its establishment because it is contrary to the law and civil service procedures.
The acting governor has also dissolved the cabinet of the former governor Nyako.
The government has also sacked all the political appointees of the previous administration.
The position was made through a press statement signed by the secretary to the state government, Prof. Abdullahi Liman Tukur.
The statement said that following the resignation of the deputy governor and the impeachment of former governor Nyako by the state assembly all political appointees (commissioners, special advisers, principal assistants and special assistants) were hereby relieved of their appointments as directed by the acting governor.
The statement directed the dismissed government functionaries to hand over all government property in their custody to their respective permanent secretaries and other appropriate officers within government establishment.
Meanwhile, the sacked Nyako commissioners yesterday paid a courtesy visit to the acting governor, pledging their loyalty.

APC Adamawa ready for fresh election but…- BD Lawal
Despite its determination to challenge the impeachment of Admiral Murtala Nyako, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is ready to participate in a fresh election to be held within the next 90 days as prescribed by the constitution.
This position was made known yesterday by the national vice chairman, north east of the party, Engineer Babachir David Lawal, in a press conference where the party spared no word in condemning the impeachment.
Said he: “The constitution directs that elections be held within 90 days from the date of impeachment; so, while we are preparing to challenge the impeachment in the courts, the party is also preparing for an early election.
“The national leadership of our great party has assured us that they will assist us in the process of selecting and presenting a very fearless, honest, people-focused and credible candidate for the elections. In our choice of the best candidate, we should not dwell much on tribe, religion or sect. Let us leave such to the PDP, which is a well- known apostle of tribal, religious and divisive politics. We should rather dwell on demonstrated competence, honesty, integrity and ability to unite our people, qualities we have in abundance in the state chapter of the APC.”
Speaking further, he said: “The good people of Adamawa State, great and exciting times lie ahead of us. So, let us be energized and mobilized! It is trite law that thieves always fight over the sharing of spoils of thievery, leading to their self-destruction. So, we will soon be entertained as we watch the PDP implode, scatter and self-destruct over who their own candidate will be! Those who thought they will shame and destabilize us have only won a pyrrhic victory. In this forthcoming election, we are the front runners because a just war is on our side.”
On the impeachment, the party gave an assurance to its members that its redress in the court would return Nyako to the office and expose those who sponsored the removal and why.
“We wish to assure the good people of Adamawa State that we will challenge this illegality in the courts on behalf of the party and the good people of the state. And we are certain in our belief that this illegality will be reversed, the true motives of the perpetrators exposed, and our legitimate governor returned to his post as soon as possible.”
The party noted that President Goodluck Jonathan who was supposed to defend the constitution of the country is the one presiding over its desecration.
“We are at a loss as to how the president can condone and even assist such brazen disregard of due process, rule of law and blatant violation of the nation’s constitution which all the dramatis personae have sworn to uphold.
“In this illegal impeachment of a duly elected governor, these 19 members of the Adamawa State House of Assembly have renounced all claims to being true representatives of the people and have, instead, surrendered their mandates to the forces of unbridled ambition and greed. Theirs is truly a demonstration of mercantilism and inordinate, senseless ambition in politics.”
According to him, with the impeachment of Nyako as governor, “Abuja will now unfreeze the frozen state accounts so our new self-appointed rulers can have access to the state’s finances complete with the authority to freely loot and share out to themselves and cronies at will.”
Leadership

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