Court Stops Adamawa Bye Election And Orders Swearing In Of Former Deputy Governor
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| Former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari |
A Federal High Court
in Abuja has ordered that the former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State,
Mr. Bala Ngilari, be sworn in as the governor of the state.
The court ruled that the purported
resignation of Ngilari on July 14, 2014 was invalid, null and void as
it breached the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999
Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and acted upon by
the House of Assembly.
Ngilari, erstwhile deputy to removed Governor Murtala Nyako had filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling his swearing in as the governor of the state.
He had asked the court to declare his
resignation letter dated July 14, 2014 and addressed to the Speaker of
the state House of Assembly, as illegal, null and void.In his suit,
marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/545/14, the plaintiff argued that his resignation
letter was in breach of the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5)
of the 1999 Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and
acted upon by the House of Assembly.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola, while
delivering his judgment, ruled that Ngilari’s letter was written at a
time when Nyako had not been removed, thus implying that the letter
ought to have gone through Nyako as then
governor, which it did not,
thus rendering the resignation null and void.
He therefore ruled that Ngilari be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.
The judgment implies that the bye-election slated for Saturday by INEC, has been stopped.
More details later.
