BY Taiwo George
On Sunday, Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, shocked people within and outside the northeastern state when he declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays.
Arguably the most frequently-asked question of the day is why citizens of the state have suddenly been gifted two days away from work? Two reasons: one, the stated; the other, the implied.
According to Nyako’s chief of staff, A. Abba, July 7 and 8 were approved as work-free days “to enable the people of the state to reflect on the current happenings in the country and to use the period to offer special prayers for peace in the state and the country.”
The period is to also “allow Adamawa workers reflect on their current challenges” and its is also a “thanksgiving period for the citizens to appreciate God’s protection despite all challenges.”
Three explanations that amount to no explanation! On the day the holidays were announced, citizens of the state were actually enjoying a work-free day — a Sunday that they could have used to reflect on the country’s current happenings or reflect on their challenges or thank God for protection.
As has been widely argued, Nyako has declared the holidays to stall his impending impeachment. After the court ruling compelling the acting chief judge to inaugurate a panel to investigate the allegations against him, it was expected that the inauguration would hold on Monday. Were it not for the holidays, the seven-man panel would have commenced sittings by now.
Such is the speed with which this impeachment is to be prosecuted that a lawmaker recently told TheCable that Nyako could be booted out of office within 10 days.
So, really, who would blame him? This is a man whose impeachment is now all but certain. With 20 of the 25 members of his house spoiling for his removal, his fate has clearly been taken out of his hands. Now, it is inconsequential if Nyako is truly guilty of “misconduct and corruption”; majority of the state legislators want him out, so it’s hard to imagine a turnaround, guilty or not.
Now, if Nyako has the numbers against him, why should he be censured for exploiting the only factor in his favour: state executive power. This is perhaps why conversations around the propriety of his dubious public holidays are needless. Instead, what is the efficacy of this lifeline that the septuagenarian is so desperately clinging to? Has someone tried it before, and did it work? Yes, then no!
Erstwhile president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was bent on ruining the chances of his estranged vice, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to contest the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the then Action Congress (AC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had disqualified him from contesting, and Atiku instituted a court case towards invalidating his disqualification. The Supreme Court was going to give its judgement on Thursday April 12, 2007 (just nine days before the election); and Obasanjo, sensing that INEC’s action could be upturned, decided to thwart the opposing camp’s joy — even if only momentarily. It was a real shock.
On April 11, 2007 — a day before the scheduled delivery of the judgement — Obasanjo announced Thursday April 12 and Friday April 13, 2007, as public holidays.
“The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has declared Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13, 2007, as work-free days to enable people to travel in order to participate in the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections on Saturday, April 14, 2007,” secretary to the government of the federation, Chief Ufot Ekatte announced back then.
But he stated explicitly that the declaration of work-free days did not include “operations of banks and other essential services.” If there was any doubt that the holidays were more about the outcome of the election than the election itself, that clause against bankers erased it.
Expectedly, the Atiku Campaign Organisation screamed to the heavens, branding Obasanjo a president who was “manipulating state institutions” and running a government determined to “muzzle and intimidate the judiciary”.
Perhaps the president succeeded in destabilising the APC camp, but the holidays did little to prevent the court from nullifying Atiku’s disqualification. (Maybe when Atiku eventually lost the election, placing third with 2, 637, 848 votes behind Muhammadu Buhari and Umaru Yar’Adua, Obasanjo would have wondered if the two days of holiday were not a waste, after all.).
Looking back, Obasanjo’s holiday gesture might have delayed the court’s pronouncement, but it failed to stop the court from validating Atiku’s presidential aspirations. Will Nyako be that unlucky? Will he, despite his holidays, fail in this near-impossible mission to halt his impending impeachment?
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