Adamawa Assembly declares governor’s seat vacant

From Umar Dankano, Yola

Adamawa state Assembly yesterday officially declared the governorship seat in the state vacant by officially notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make necessary arrangements to fill the vacuum created by the impeachment of former Governor Murtala Nyako.

The House Committee Chairman on Information, Mr. Adamu Kamale, told newsmen yesterday that the delay in transmitting letter to the electoral body was informed by the fact that it went on recess since 16th July,2014,coupled with the fact that some of the lawmakers, including the Acting Speaker, Barrister Kwamoti La’ori went for a conference of parliamentarians  in Tanzania.

 Kamale however said that the house,  being under obligation constitutionally would transmit the notification letter to the electoral body of the vacancy in the office of the Governor of Adamawa State as a matter of urgency in the collective interest of the state.

 The chairman also used the forum to debunk the allegation in some quarters that the lawmakers decided to embark on the impeachment of Nyako because of his failure to release statutory constituency project monies as demanded by the lawmakers, saying that the process of impeachment embarked upon was a statutory function and not for vendetta as alleged.

 He also debunked the insinuation raised in some quarters by leader of All Progressives Congress, Madam Binta Masi Garba, that  the sum of N350 million was released to  the legislators as part of the constituency project in  the course of the impeachment process.

According to him, the appropriated monies for constituency projects were statutorily not meant to be disbursed to individual lawmakers but to appropriate ministries and parastatals to execute the projects based on the demands of the constituencies.

 Similarly, Kamale challenged Masi-Garba to prove the allegation that the lawmakers actually demanded to be given N1 billion for constituencies projects.