Controversy trails Adamawa dep gov’s resignation

Fresh facts have emerged in Adamawa state over the controversial circumstance under which former deputy governor Barrister Bala James Ngillari resigned his appointment as the deputy governor of the state,

Impeccable sources revealed that, the former deputy governor’s resignation letter, read on the floor of the House by then Speaker, Honorable Umaru Fintiri, who is now the acting governor of the state was obtained under duress.

The source added that the former deputy governor has never written any letter to the governor, as demanded by Constitution, to intimate former Governor Murtala Nyako that he wanted to resign from the office.

In his reaction on the development, Barrister Ngillari told journalists that he didn’t write his missive to his former boss but addressed it to the Speaker as demanded by the deputy speaker, Hon. Kwamati Loari, who came to his House for the letter.

“The truth is that I have not sent any letter of resignation to the governor up till now, because the representative of the House only came to my house yesterday, asking me to tender my resignation and asked me to address the letter to the Speaker of the House, which I did”. Bala stated.

But Ngillari declined comments as to whether he signed his letter of resignation under duress, saying that what he know is that he has sent his resignation to the Speaker as requested.

Press secretary to the embattled deputy governor, Maxwell Duku, when contacted on the matter said that his boss has honorably resigned and sent his resignation letter to the Speaker and will never retrieved it again

Meanwhile, the impeached governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, has called for the reinstatement of his deputy as the governor of the state, following his illegal removal.

Nyako, who spoke through his press director, vide a press release made available to journalists in Yola, said “our attention has been drawn to the purported resignation of the deputy governor of Adamawa state, Barrister Bala James Ngillari, which was supposedly read on the floor of the State House of Assembly.

“We wish to state categorically that Section 306 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, requires that the deputy resign, not to the House of Assembly, but to the Governor.

“As at the time the supposed resignation was said to have been tendered in the House, Murtala H Nyako was the governor of Adamawa state. No such letter was written to him; none was received by him and none was approved by him. It should therefore be known that, in the eyes of the law, the deputy governor has not resigned. Barrister Bala James Ngillari is still the Deputy Governor of Adamawa state.

“This clarification is necessary to avert another subversion of the Constitution, since the order processes relating to the impeachment saga have all been in contravention of the Constitution and the law. We wish to observe that the continued abuse of the Constitution and the law of the land will spell doom for our democracy” Nyako stated.