A Court of Appeal sitting in Yola on Thursday reversed the impeachment of Murtala Nyako as governor of Adamawa State. Pinkynaijablog recalls that Nyako was removed on July 15, 2014, after 17 of 25 members of the Adamawa State House of Assembly adopted a report of a panel set up to investigate him for alleged corruption and the report found the governor guilty of all the 16 allegations of gross misconduct. However, in its Thursday ruling, the Court of Appeal ruled that the impeachment of Mr. Murtala Nyako as governor of Adamawa state in 2014 was not done in accordance with the provision of the law. Asides Nyako, who are the Nigerian governors who have had their impeachment overturned by the court? Pinkynaijablog has put together the governors, deputy governors and speakers who have had their impeachment upturned by the court…
Rashidi Ladoja was elected governor of Oyo State in April 2003 on the platform of the PDP, and took over office on 29 May 2003. He was supported by Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, a PDP power broker in the state. By August 2004, Ladoja and Adedibu were locked in a fierce struggle over allocation of government appointees. Ladoja was not supported by the party in this dispute. On 12 January 2006, Ladoja was impeached by Oyo State legislators and forced out of office. The impeachment may have been due to the argument between Ladoja and Lamidi Adedibu. His deputy, Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, was sworn in as the new governor. On 1 November 2006, the Appeal Court in the state capital, Ibadan, declared the impeachment null and illegal, but advised waiting for confirmation of this decision by the Supreme Court.
Sunday Onyebuchi, a former deputy governor of Enugu State, was impeached on August 26, 2015, by the immediate past State House of Assembly led by Eugene Odoh following the recommendation of the seven-man Impeachment Panel set up by the State Chief Judge, Innocent Umezuruike, which investigated allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him by then governor, Sullivan Chime. However, an Enugu High Court presided over by Justice Reuben Odugu nullified his purported impeachment and ordered the restoration of his rights and benefits from the time of removal from office to the period his tenure elapsed in December 2015.
Hon. Adamu Usman was a speaker of the 7th Niger State House of Assembly. He was impeached on the 4th of May 2015 by some members of the Niger State House of Assembly and Hon. Isah Kawu installed as the new speaker of the 7th Assembly. Usman thereafter challenged his impeachment at the High Court presided over by the chief judge, Justice Fati Lami Abubakar on the ground that the procedures followed for his impeachment was unconstitutional and the presiding judge therefore ruled that the plaintiff remained the speaker as at the time of the purported impeachment was concluded.
Alhaji Garba Gadi was deputy Governor of Bauchi State until he was was impeached on August 14, 2009 for his refusal to defect from the All Nigeria Peoples Party to the PDP like the governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda. However, a High Court in June 2010, upturned his impeachment and asked that Gadi, be reinstated to office without delay. Justice Haruna Tsammani of Bauchi State High Court 4, who delivered the ruling, also ordered the sitting deputy governor, Alhaji Babayo Garba, to vacate the office immediately and allow Gadi to resume duty. Justice Tsammani also directed the state government to pay Gadi’s salaries and allowances accruing to him while the illegal impeachment lasted. The judge described the seven-man committee set up by the Bauchi State House of Assembly as being in complete conflict with the integrity of the court of law.
Peter Obi after nearly 3 years of legal battle with his rival, Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party, got the Court of Appeal on 15 March 2006 to overturn Ngige’s victory. He entered office on 17 March 2006 and on 2nd November 2006, he was impeached by the state house of assembly after seven months in office and replaced the next day by Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, making her the first ever female Governor in Nigeria’s history. Obi successfully challenged his impeachment and was re-instated as the governor on 9 February 2007 by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu. Etiaba handed power back to him after the court ruling.
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