Bala James Ngilari, the new governor of Adamawa State who was sworn in on Wednesday, has appointed Alhaji Chubado Tijani as the state’s new chief of staff.
Appointing the new chief of staff was Ngilari’s first duty as a governor after a brief speech in which he promised to be transparent in the running of the state’s affairs. He tanked people of Adamawa State, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and all those who stood by him until he secured victory in court.
Meanwhile, supporters of Ngilari were greatly jubilant in the state after their candidate who had served as deputy to the former state governor Murtala Nyako for seven years, was sworn as the substantive governor of the state by president of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Audu L. Lagre, at the council chambers of Adamawa State Government House, Yola.
The whole drama started when a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday stopped the governorship election scheduled for Saturday in Adamawa state.
The court judgement had come when preparation among the political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had reached its peak ahead of Saturday. While giving the restraining order, Justice Adeniyi Ademola had directed the acting Governor of the state, Alhaji Amadu Fintiri, to vacate office with immediate effect.
In his place, Justice Ademola had ordered “the Chief Judge of Adamawa State (or Acting Chief Judge, as the case may be) or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal to swear in Barr. Bala James Nggilari (the Plaintiff) Immediately as the substantive Governor of Adamawa State,” because the earlier reports of his resignation was declared controversial.
Fintiri, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, had played a major role in the impeachment of Murtala Nyanko as governor of the state and had later emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the election.
Ngilari was Nyako’s deputy and has been contesting his removal with the argument that he did not resign from office as purported by Fintiri and some other members of the House in the heat of the impeachment saga.
The court had pronounced that: “By virtue of section 191(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), after the impeachment of Murtala Nyako (5th Defendant) as Governor of Adamawa Sate, the Plaintiff ought to be sworn in as Governor of Adamawa State,”
“The combined provisions of section 191(1) and 306 (1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the swearing-in of the 3rd Defendant (Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru) as Acting Governor of Adamawa State on 15th of July, 2014 is illegal and unconstitutional.
“By the provision of section 191(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the 6th Defendant cannot conduct any election to fill the office of the Governor of Adamawa State after the impeachment of Murtala Nyako, as the Deputy Governor (Barr. Bala James Nggilari) did not resign from that office as strictly stipulated by section 306 (1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
Ngilari Sends All Fintiri’s Commissioners, Aides Packing
Twenty-four hours after his swearing in as governor of Adamawa state, Governor Bala Ngilari, on Thursday sacked all political appointees of his predecessor, Ahmadu Fintiri, including commissioners, special advisers and assistants.
The only set of officers not affected by the sack are heads of statutory commissions.
All those sacked by the new governor had been appointed by Fintiri and had barely spent three months in office each.
The sack of all those affected comes with immediate effect, according to a statement by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Chubado Tijjani, asking that all the affected office holders hand over all documents and other government property in their possession to permanent secretaries in their various ministries.
Fintiri was sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday. He has since appealed the court ruling.
Meanwhile, Governor Ngillari on Thursday began what could be seen as a bid to unite all aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) together with a meeting he held with the party’s stakeholders at the state party secretariat on his first assignment outside the Government House.
The new governor explained that the purpose of the visit was to familiarise and meet with the state party executives and other stakeholders adding that his emergence as governor was the will of God, who gives leadership to whoever he wants at a time he wants.
He said: “my emergence as a governor today is a will of Almighty God, because he is the only one that gives power to whoever at a time he wants. So glory is to God.”
He described all the members of the PDP in the state as equal and important to him and the party. He therefore preached the need for all to unite ahead of the 2015 general election adding: “personally, I don’t have any grudges with anybody in my mind and for the sake of unity and peace of the state and the ruling party, I forgive anybody that directly or indirectly offended me.”
While welcoming the governor, the chairman of the PDP in Adamawa state, Chief Joel Madaki, said the emergence of Ngilari was a victory for the party.
To him, “this is examplenary of good leadership quality and integrity being demonstrated by our new governor. As party’s executives, we assure you of all our maximum support and cooperation to lead the people of the state to the Promise Land.
Those present at the meeting include the Acting Speaker of the state, Mr. Kwamoti Laori, Sen. Bello Tukur, members of the state House of Assembly and other party chieftains. However, Fintiri was absent both at the meeting and at the sitting of the House on Thursday.