My Deputy’s Resignation Illegal, Says Nyako

The impeached
governor of Adamawa State, Rear
Admiral Murtala Nyako (retd) has said
the resignation of the deputy governor,
James Ngilari, did not follow
constitutional provisions as he ought to
have addressed his resignation letter to
him, as he was still governor as at the
time of the purported resignation.
Ngilari, had in a bid to avoid being
impeached, addressed his resignation
letter to the Speaker of the State House
of Assembly, Ahmadu Fintiri, who was
later sworn-in as acting governor,
rather than Nyako, as provided for in
the Constitution.
In a statement yesterday by his director
of press and public affairs, Mallam
Ahmad Sajoh, Nyako said: “Our
attention has been drawn to the
purported resignation of the deputy
governor of Adamawa State, Barr 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
governor 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. Barr Bala James
Ngillari is still the deputy governor of
Adamawa State. This clarification is
necessary to avert another subversion of
the constitution since the other
processes relating to the impeachment
saga have all been in contravention of
the constitution and the law”.