Editorial Suite

Fri, Jul 11, 2014 | By publisher


Editorial Suite

THIS is a more trying time for Murtala Nyako, incumbent governor of Adamawa State. In the last one year, his state has been under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan to enable the country’s security forces fight the invasion of the three  North-Eastern  states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe by Boko Haram insurgents. The insurgency has really affected his effective governance of the state. As if this was not enough trouble for him, Nyako decided to add more to it by opening another war front with the Presidency, and by implication, Jonathan. He was among the seven governors who started a rebellion in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the 2015 presidential ambition of Jonathan. When it appeared that their rebellion would not stop the president from re-contesting next year’s presidential election, the gang of seven decided to play the role of bulls in a china shop. With the active support of like minds in the party, they went on to form what came to be known as the new PDP. It was a devastating joker which almost sent the party to the canvass.  However, the break-up attempt failed after a federal high court in Abuja ruled that in the eyes of the law, there was no party known as new PDP.

After muddying the PDP waters sufficiently, Nyako, with four of his comrades-in-arms, jumped ship to the All Progressives Congress, APC, a major opposition party which emerged from the ashes of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and the Congress for  Progressive Change. Initially, Nyako carried along the entire membership of the State House of Assembly to the APC. But curiously and for reasons that are still unclear, some members of the House decided to retrace their steps and returned to the PDP. They are now the source of one his problems. Moreover, when the APC hierarchy decided to take away the party machinery from Mohammed Buba  Marwa, a retired brigadier- general, and hand it over to Nyako, another battle front was opened for him. Marwa, who had been superintending over the party before the arrival of Nyako, has since returned to the PDP fold. He is in the vanguard of the struggle for the political soul of Adamawa.

Nyako complicated his problem last April when he forwarded a contentious memo to the Northern Governors’ Forum in which he accused the federal government led by President Jonathan, of carrying out full-fledged genocide against northern states. He said the president was using the war against Boko Haram insurgents to embark on massive killings of northern soldiers and civilians in the three states. Now, all the war fronts he has opened consciously or unconsciously have coalesced to haunt him. Hence, the ongoing attempt by the House of Assembly to remove him from office by impeachment. Nineteen out of the 25 members in the State’s House of Assembly, have backed the impeachment document, which have marshaled out the governor’s impeachable offences.  According to media reports, Nyako’s critics are happy that the governor is about to stew in his juice. Like a drowning man, he is holding on to every available straw that comes his way. He probably forgot to learn from the wise saying that he who lives in a glass house should not throw stones. The political noose is now tied around his neck.  Can he survive it? This is the basis of our cover story for this week entitled “Nyako’s Survival Strategy.” Olu Ojewale, general editor, who crafted the story, lets the readers into the high-wired intrigues that surround the impeachment drama or saga. Happy weekend.

Mike Akpan
Editor-in-Chief

mikeakpan2003@yahoo.com  |  08023880068

— Jul. 21, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT

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