Politics
Nyako, Deputy To Face Probe Panel Today
The seven man
investigative panel set up to investigate the allegation of gross misconduct leveled against Adamawa State Governor, Murtala H Nyako and his Deputy, Bala James Ngilari by the House of Assembly has proceeded with the conduct of its work, unruffled by developments in Abuja.
The proceedings were brief and saw to the dispatch of three invitation letters to all the parties involved. The parties are Nyako, Ngilari and the Adamawa State House of Assembly.
The panel ordered that since Governor Nyako was not in town and the Government House remained sealed, the governor’s invitation letter be pasted on the Government House gate which has since been done.
Deputy Governor Bala James Ngilari was served in his office and the letter was received by the office secretary. The Assembly clerk has also received the House’s letter of invitation.
The invitation ordered the governor, the deputy governor and the State House of Assembly to appear before it at the venue of the proceeding which is the Usman Iya Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria House located on Gibson Jalo way, Army Barracks Road, Jimeta, Yola.
By the invitation, the panel has directed that all the parties involved appear by 2:00 pm.
Meanwhile, Security operatives at the residence of Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, last Wednesday prevented a member of the panel from delivering the invitation letter.
The panel secretary, Binanu R. Esthon, told newsmen that when all attempts to deliver the letter to Nyako failed, the panel members met and directed that the letter should be pasted on his gate.
“If you go to the governor’s house now you will see the invitation letter pasted on his gate, the deputy governor’s secretary received the letter on behalf of his boss”, he stated.
Esthon said that the panel would commence full sitting today since the governor and his deputy had been served with their letters of invitation.
However, Nyako has expressed confidence that he would survive the ongoing impeachment move against him, insisting that he won’t resign.
Nyako’s political trauma got worsened last week when the High Court sitting in Yola presided over by the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, dismissed his application, asking it to stop the lawmakers from continuing with the impeachment process.
All the 25 members of the Adamawa House of Assembly are in the PDP, but five of them did not sign the impeachment notice.
In his ruling, Mammadi said that Nyako’s application lacked constitutional backing, pointing out that the Assembly members fully complied with all the sections under Section 188 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the launch of the Presidential Safe School Initiative aimed at providing conducive and safe environment for school children in the North East, Nyako remained upbeat about his chances of surviving the ongoing impeachment proceedings against him.
His appearance at the Presidential Villa was the second in two days since the battle to remove him began. He had also attended the Council of State meeting chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan in the Villa last Tuesday.
Nyako, who claimed that the state was calm, noted that since the issue was before the court, he expected the lawmakers to obey the rules in anything they do.
He said, “Well, it is in the court and the court said it was not well done. We are hoping that if they want to do it, they will do it following the normal process in whatever they want to do.”
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.
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