Court sacks Fintiri, orders swearing-in of Nyako’s Deputy

Justice Ademola Adeniyi of Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered that the former deputy governor of
Adamawa state, Mr. Bala Ngilari, should be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.
The substantive speaker of the House of Assembly, Alhaji Umar Fintiri, is also mandated to vacate office
as the acting governor of the state.
He ruled that the alleged 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, through his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had submitted that by virtue of section 191 (1) of the
1999 Constitution that after the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako, that he, Ngilari being the next in
the line of succession should have been inaugurated as governor.
The former deputy governor further deposed that the assertion that he resigned his position as deputy
governor was untenable given the claim by the House of Assembly that he, Ngilari resigned in a letter
addressed to the speaker of the House of Assembly.
Ngilari had relied on section 306 (1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria
(as amended), that his resignation from office as deputy governor could only be addressed to the
substantive governor at that time who he claimed was Nyako.
Nyako, in his submission to the court had also claimed that he did not accept the purported resignation of
Ngilari as deputy governor.
The bye-election fixed for this Saturday, will no longer hold.