Nyako bows to lawmakers, appoints council heads

In what appears to be the first step towards a truce, the embattled Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, on Thursday, inaugurated administrators for 36 development areas, four permanent secretaries and a special adviser. Nyako’s earlier refusal to endorse the list of development area administrators presented to him by the House, led to the breakdown of the relationship between him and the legislators. It was learnt that the inauguration was part of an agreement reached between the feuding parties after a series of meetings with the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Mr. Ahmadu Fintiri and some members of the House, in Abuja. The former Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. P.P Elisha, whose nomination for appointment as a commissioner by the House of Assembly, was also inaugurated as the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Government Affairs. However, a source privy to the happenings confided in our correspondent that the governor’s action was “just for peace to reign” because he was aware that hardliners were still looking for loopholes to nail Nyako. Members of the panel set up to investigate allegations levelled against the governor and his deputy have not withdrawn the invitation sent to both men to appear before it on Friday (today). Earlier, while addressing the newly inaugurated administrators, Nyako charged them to pay close attention to the provision of dividends of democracy especially for the people at the grassroots, who form the bulk of those deserving of government’s attention. Nyako also urged them to also ensure “mass mobilization for sustained peace and peaceful co-existence among the diverse people of the state.” In a related development, some of the lawmakers who have been linked with the impeachment move against Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngillari, have had their Ramadan gifts rejected by their constituents. Some of those affected include the members representing, Mubi North, Abubakar Umar Jaringo, Girei constituency, Abubakar Umar, and the member representing Maiha Local Government, Hassan Kaigama. It was gathered that the constituents took the unusual step to show their displeasure over the alleged involvement of the affected lawmakers in the impeachment plot. A resident of Gerei, Malam Saidu Girei said, “We may be poor but we have not lost our sense of fairness. We cannot accept gifts from traitors.” Mr. Yohanna David, who spoke to reporters on behalf of a group of Maiha indigenes under the aegis of the Maiha Concerned Citizens said, “We expected them to consult us before they blindly supported the move for the impeachment of Governor Nyako and his deputy. We call on our lawmaker to retrace his step with immediate effect before it is too late.”