Fintiri not qualified to contest – Gulak

• No, he is qualified – Senator Zwingina

From Umar Dankano, Yola

he Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Barrister Ahmed Aliyu Gulak has opined that the participation of the acting Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the 11 Oct bye election lacked constitutional and moral grounds.

Gulak, made his opinion known in a chart with journalists in his Yola residence, yesterday saying that, the nation’s constitution has clearly spelt out the conditions for whether or not he should participate.

“First and foremost, Fintiri should know he is the speaker of Adamawa House of Assembly. It’s by the virtue of that post that he is the Acting Governor because there is no Governor and Deputy”

He added that the Deputy Speaker is now the Acting Speaker stressing that the acting Governor position as the Speaker has been reserved for him by the constitution

” This means that he should midwife this election which must take place within 90days.Having midwife successfully of the election and handing over, he is expected to go back as Speaker while the Acting Speaker will also go back to his post as Deputy Speaker” Gulak explained.

He frowned at Fintiri’s manipulation of the nation’s constitution explaining that it potent danger for the present democracy Nigerians are enjoying.

“If it happens like that, where members of the state house of assembly will just sit down and impeach the Governor and his Deputy which was not the intention of the framers of this constitution. It is an impeccable fact that the constitution has reserved his seat as Speaker that is why the Deputy speaker is acting and it is by the virtue of his position as a Speaker that

he is Acting Governor.”

He advised the Acting Governor to be a respecter of the law and if he wants to contest, he should resign as member of the House of Assembly and Speaker for his aspiration.

However, the chairman of the Fintiri Campaign Organization, who was former Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Jonathan Silas Zwingina, has declared that the Adamawa state acting Governor has constitutional right to contest the bye election.

Zwingina, said that Fintiri’s tenure in office will be extended to the remaining tenure of Governor Murtala Nyako in the event people of the state gave him the mandate.

According to him” People are making a mistake by saying Fintiri does not have constitutional and moral rights to contest for the bye election. The acting governor does not only have the right to be in office for 90 days before a bye election is conducted but equally have right to complete the tenure of the ousted Governor Murtala Nyako” he said.