As the gale of impeachment against him gathers momentum, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, has gone spiritual to save his job. The governor, yesterday, declared today and tomorrow as work free days to enable the citizens to reflect on the situation in the state and Nigeria and to offer special prayers to God for intervention.
Although the governor did not make direct reference to his current impeachment travails, it was learnt that the prayers sessions are intended to seek the face of God in thwarting the effort by the state’s lawmakers and his former party, PDP, to oust him from office. He explained that the holidays were to give thanks to God for surviving all the challenges facing them.
As the prayer session continues, Nyako is expected to approach the Appeal Court this week to challenge the decision of the state’s Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, to set up a panel to probe him without first being served the notice of the impeachment as demanded by law.
Nyako, it was learnt, is peeved by the action of the acting CJ, who inexplicably decided to set up a probe panel against him despite the fact that the lawmakers were yet to personally serve him the impeachment notice.
But the prayers may not do much to salvage the governor, as the seven-man panel, whose membership had already been unveiled, gets set to finish up its assignment within the week and push the governor away.
The panel, whose composition of five Christians and two Muslims is already raising eyebrows among the Muslim community in the state, is likely to wrap up its assignment and report back to the House of Assembly earlier than expected.
Although some political bigwigs in Adamawa are expected to intervene and save Nyako, his key political opponents are not likely to forgive Nyako and would push for his removal as soon as the committee turns in its report.
It is not, however, clear why armed soldiers have taken over the residence of the Adamawa CJ in Yola, the state capital.