9th July, 2014
After weeks of shoving, the Adamawa State House of Assembly last week mandated the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mamadi, to institute a panel to look into allegations of gross misconduct levelled against Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy, James Bala Ngilari.
The action, they said, is based on the constitutional provision which empowers the legislative arm to use impeachment as the ultimate means of disciplining the allegedly erring governor.
On the plane level, the assembly men have gone about their business with much decorum. As we await the report of the seven-man panel instituted to investigate the allegations, however, we feel it is important that both sides – the governor and the assembly – take precaution to ensure that the rule of law is followed to the letter.
This has become imperative because we recall how impeachment, a very vital tool was used as a weapon of witchhunt in our recent past history. We also remember that in many places where kangaroo tribunals were set up to remove the governors, such states degenerated into chaos. The cases of Ekiti, Oyo, Plateau in 2006 are still fresh in our memory. We remember that in places such as Ekiti and Plateau, it took a state of emergency declared by President Olusegun Obasanjo to restore order to the states when the governors were removed.
As we approach the general elections next year, tension is already building up. The slender frame of peace should not be threatened by anything. Already, the country is under the grip of many violent species like Boko Haram, armed robbers and kidnappers and cannot stand any induced crisis. Politicians and their lieutenants must be cautioned to remain peaceful and follow the law in discharging their responsibilities. As one of the states already yoked by Boko Haram insurgents, Adamawa can’t afford any kind of breach of peace.
If peradventure the panel submits a report that leads to the removal of the governor, he must accept the verdict as Alhaji Balarabe Musa did when he was impeached by the Kaduna State House of Assembly in 1981. This may be difficult as there are reports that the Adamawa State House of Assembly set up the panel in disobedience of a court order. Even in the face of this anomaly, we implore all the parties involved to shun violence, whatever be the outcome, and instead channel all their grievances to the law courts for adjudication.
Politicians at all levels must understand that impeachment is an extreme weapon and should not be used arbitrarily. Those who may contemplate using it to settle political scores must have a re-think. Already there are rumours that some governors have been penciled down by opposition parties in those states for removal from office to pave way for them to win elections in those states next year. We are not against any erring governor being removed, especially if the crime genuinely borders on corruption. What we canvass is that the votes of the electorate must be won based on party programmes and policy implementation strategies not through some backdoor political gimmicks.