TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party has described the impeachment of former governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, as “an act of democracy”.

The party said that the Adamawa people exercised their constitutional rights through the “votes of the overwhelming majority of the elected members of the State House of Assembly who accorded rule of law and due process the rightful place in removing Nyako”.

It dismissed the allegations of the All Progressives Congress linking President Goodluck Jonathan with the impeachment of saying it was unfortunate that the APC, which claimed to champion the rights of the people to choice leadership, was the same party turning against the constitutionally-guaranteed right of the people to withdraw legitimacy through impeachment and recall.

“It is really an irony, but what does one expect from the APC that is undergoing febrile seizure over the furious collapse of its imagined dominance of Nigeria’s political space? It is not surprising that the drowning, who is striving to clutch on any available straws, would turn the PDP into a scape goat,” PDP wrote in a statement signed by its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, on Sunday

It advised the APC to look inwards in finding answers to its woes and leave it out, adding that if a sitting governor who had spent more than seven years in office could be removed by more than two-third of the members of his state assembly, “reasons should be located to fundamental factors within rather than the trite excuses of external influence”.

“How did almost the entire members of the state assembly, some of whom were his allies, turn against Nyako? Those who buy into the APC’s wild allegations of external influence and monetary inducement will only submit to the illogical because of the impossibility that there is no member among the 24 out of 28 member assembly with conscience to reject such influence. And if the APC insists that Nyako’s decampment is the reason for his impeachment, we also ask why the Adamawa electorates whom he had served for over seven years raised no hoot in defence of him.

“The APC must therefore go back to the reasons tabled by the Adamawa Assembly instead of desecrating and discrediting the citadel of democracy which has been its hobby for some time. That the sins of Nyako were not punished earlier until ‘yesterday’ as it argued does not make them less, even obviate or offer remission. The law, it is said, has a long arm. The time it catches up with an offender is immaterial to the gravity of the offence.”

PDP alleged that those having sleepless nights over the impeachment were not natives of Adamawa, but selfish APC leaders from other states benefiting from siphoned resources of Adamawa people.

“Instead of engaging in unfounded claims, the APC leaders should be humble and honest enough to look inwards and seek answers as to why the entire people of Adamawa state rejected the former Governor and why the acclaimed mobilisation of APC, including visits by some of their governors failed to save him. The APC should ask why Nyako’s removal was greeted by jubilations by the people as such do not happen when good leaders suffer such fate.

“We wish to note that this is not unconnected with the maladministration that characterised the APC-led government of former Governor Nyako, the details of which Nigerians now know as well as the fact that the impeached governor bluntly refused to offer explanations despite being given ample opportunity to do so in line with constitutional provisions.”

“While we state in no uncertain terms that neither the PDP as party nor President Jonathan is remotely or otherwise connected to the impeachment in Adamawa or elsewhere, we also wish to ask the APC to locate the Sword of Damocles dangling in some of the states which they control to the expression of the collective will of the people against bad governance as the PDP believes strongly in separation of powers and the sanctity of the legislature.”