Impeachment: Court rejects Adamawa Assembly’s bid for substituted service

From Umar Dankano, Yola

A Yola High Court presided by the Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, yesterday dismissed the application filed by Adamawa State House of Assembly requesting to serve Gov. Murtala Nyako and his deputy notice of gross misconduct though the media.

Ruling on the application filed by the Speaker, Ahmadu Fintiri, Acting Chief Judge said, “I refuse to exercise my discretion to grant the application. This is “in view of the holding of Supreme Court’s judgment, in the case of Inikojo and Adeleke, to which I am bound. I hold that service of the notice of allegation against the respondent must be personal service.

“I resolve the issue for determination in the negative, I refuse the application, it is accordingly dismissed’’, Mammadi further said.

However, the state House of Assembly, in an emergency sitting, directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Francis Ghansenso, to serve the governor and his Deputy, Mr. Bala Ngilari with the notice through the media.

The directive was given by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Lauri Kwamoti (PDP-Numan), who presided over the sitting attended by nine out of the 25 members of the House.

Ghansenso earlier told the House that all efforts to serve the governor and his deputy with the notice did not yield result, as “they were nowhere to be found.’’

The clerk said the development forced him to go to court for an affidavit to serve the notice through the media.

The deputy Speaker, who said the House would not continue to wait, directed the clerk to serve the notice through two national daily newspapers and Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

“Furthermore, make an announcement in respect of this notice of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy on NTA today (Tuesday) ’’, Kwamoti said.

The House adjourned sitting till June 30.