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.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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