PDP, APC and season of impeachment

NyakoIn this piece, SAMUEL OGIDAN takes a look at the battle ground called 2015 and how muscles are being flexed amidst impeachment threats in some states
The battle for the soul of 2015 has begun in earnest and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strategises at both the state and national levels to aggressively retain or take over power depending on the present power status.
The month of July in this dispensation would be remembered as the month when the political game in the history of Nigeria took another dimension. Just when All Progressives Congress (APC) thought it would consolidate on the states it presently controls and possibly add more, the ruling party started its game plan by poaching on the APC governors.

Although the national secretariat of the ruling party had exonerated itself and denied any involvement in the impeachment and the crisis bedevelling some of the states, especially the states controlled by APC, the leadership of PDP on Tuesday said “for the avoidance of doubt, the PDP has never been involved in any impeachment process and we wish to publicly urge our members in all the state houses of assembly to thread with caution and be guided by due process, rule of law in the execution of their legislative duties.”
The first to go in its quest to enlarge its coast was Adamawa state governor, Murtala Nyako, whom nobody including the APC leadership and stakeholders made any attempt to rescue from the clutch of impeachment and sack.
This is even as the governor of Nasarawa state, Tanko Al-Makura is also battling to save his job as impeachment notice signed by 20 out of the 24 state lawmakers is hanging on his neck. If per chance nothing is done to the nip the situation in the bud, the governor would be on his way out soon.
The acting governor of Adamawa state, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who stormed Abuja shortly when he was sworn-in in acting capacity captured the whole essence of the battle to remove Nyako, saying he had returned to the party, the ‘stolen’ mandate by the immediate past governor, Admiral Nyako (rtd).
He said: “As a loyal and obedient party member, I came on a courtesy call to my party and the National Working Committee (NWC) as my first assignment after the battle to remove Governor Nyako, who had stolen the mandate of the PDP under which he was elected for eight years.”

A stakeholder of APC, who also spoke on the condition of anonymous on the plight of Nyako explained why the governor was abandoned with the excuse that his coming to APC was a liability rather than an asset.
The stakeholder, whose current role was to reclaim Adamawa, said, “Nyako was responsible for his impeachment, let me tell you how it began. Nyako was not popular as governor of Adamawa while he was in PDP and this had really helped other parties like CPC, and ACN and when the merger came to be, we stood our ground that Nyako should not join us. But the APC leaders at the centre insisted that we should receive him. We reluctantly accepted him but his coming to our party is a liability rather than an asset, his coming to the party has led many to defect back to PDP because of Nyako.
“When his problems began, he was not listening to anyone and we left him to himself. He ran the government as a family estate and when the members were after him, everyone left him in the cold. But when it became obvious that he would be impeached, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar ran to one of our leaders, whom we have regard for, Engineer BD Lawal asking him to seek General Buhari’s intervention but General Buhari refused because of his integrity and credibility.

“He told BD Lawal that he would have intervened if Nyako’s offence has nothing to do with misappropriation and embezzlement. He told him I still have my name to protect. It was at this juncture we all gave up on Nyako.
“Before the impeachment began, we warned Nyako against extending the tenure of the Acting Chief Judge, Ambrose Mammadi and while we were happy that the Acting Judge tenure would expire before the inauguration of the panel, we did not know that Nyako had asked the National Judicial Commission to extend the tenure of the Acting Judge. If the tenure had not been extended, this would have made it difficult if not impossible for the panel to sit and to impeach him.”
The source however was optimistic that the party would win the fresh governorship poll in the state within the 90 days as prescribed by the constitution.

But PDP has a different interpretation to the removal of Nyako, describing it as democracy in action. National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh said: “The impeachment of the former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako is an act of democracy. It is a constitutional right granted exclusively to the people of Adamawa State and no other. This, they exercised through the votes of the overwhelming majority of the elected members of the State House of Assembly who also accorded rule of law and due process the rightful place in removing Nyako.
“Therefore, allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC), linking the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan to this are purely escapist and can only come from revisionists and reactionary forces, the unmasked pretenders to democracy.”
Although the heat is on against Al-Makura, various efforts, including the legal options and the mass protest , may stave off the threat. Would all these efforts save the governor? This has been the question on the minds of political analysts in the country.

It was gathered that even though Al-Makura is close person to the presidency, but the impeachment of Al-Makura is beyond Aso Villa. It was further gathered that the governor was not removed all these while for the simple reason that he will not compromise his agreement with the presidency.
The agreement it was learnt was to toe the line of the presidency, but the last straw that breaks the camel’s back came up when local government election was conducted in the state.
The governor was believed to have agreed that the election would not be manipulated, and that the state lawmakers felt betrayed. But an aide to the governor, Abdulhameed Kwarra said the lawmakers lost out in the credible local government poll, hence the reason for the move against him .
With the impeachment notice on the head of Al-Makura, couple with the removal of Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, there is palpable fear in Borno, Osun Edo, Imo and some other states controlled by APC. The next governor to be served impeachment notice is what Nigerians are waiting to hear as this is now the season of impeachment.