Adamawa State: Elections Stopped As Court Orders Swearing In Of Former Deputy Governor, Ngilari

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

A court sitting in Abuja has ordered the swearing-in of the former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari (pictured with former Governor, Murtala Nyako) effectively stopping the upcoming elections

 (Nigerian Eye)A court sitting in Abuja has ordered the swearing-in of the former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari effectively stopping the upcoming elections

The proposed bye-election slated for Saturday, October 11 in Adamawa state is unlikely to hold as the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that the former Deputy Governor of the state,Mr. James Bala Ngilari, be sworn in as governor.

Ngilari was said to have resigned after the impeachment of his principal, Murtala Nyako but the process has been deemed by the court to be flawed. More after the cut...

Punch reports that the purported resignation of Ngilari on July 14, 2014 was invalid, null and void as it breached the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and acted upon by the House of Assembly.

The presiding judge ruled that the supposed resignation letter of the former Deputy Governor was written at a time when Nyako was still in office and as such should have been addressed to him and not to the State House of Assembly.

The court ruled further that Ngilari be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.

The impeachment of Nyako and subsequent ousting of his deputy led to the swearing in of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly at the time, Umaru Fintiri.

Fintiri was also set to contest the October 11 elections after winning the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party.