After 18 months of being removed from office, former governor of Adamawa
State, Murtala Nyako has now gotten some restitution from the court,
although delayed.
The Yola Division of Federal Court of Appeal on Thursday declared his
impeachment by the PDP dominated House as unconstitutional, null and void.
The House had on July 16, 2014, impeached and removed Nyako for gross
misconduct, few days after a panel was set up and without Nyako appearing
to give his own side to the various allegations levelled against him.
In a unanimous judgment by the five justices of the Court of Appeal, the
court said the impeachment was not done in accordance with the provisions
of the law as the governor was not served the impeachment notice
personally.
In the lead judgment read by Justice Tunde Ayotoye, the judges agreed that
Nyako was not given fair hearing.
The court ordered that Nyako be accorded all rights of the Office of the
Governor of Adamawa through the period and paid all his entitlements as
governor while it lasted.
The court, however, struck out the appeal by Nyako to be returned as
governor of the state as his tenure as governor had elapsed.