Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holiday, urging citizens to use the time to reflect on the various challenges facing the country and pray.

The director of press to the governor, Ahmad Sajoh, conveyed this message on his behalf on Sunday.

“His Excellency Governor Murtala Nyako has approved Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th July as work-free days in Adamawa State. The period is to also allow Adamawa workers reflect on their current challenges. It is also a thanksgiving period for citizens to appreciate God’s protection despite all the challenges,” Sajoh said in a statement.

However, there are insinuations that the underlying reason for the holiday is to stall his impeachment process against Nyako by the state House of Assembly.

It would be recalled that the acting chief judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, last week announced a seven-man panel to probe the charges of gross misconduct levelled against governor Nyako by the House, even though he was said to have made the decision under duress.

Mammadi, whose tenure expires on Tuesday, had planned to inaugurate the committee today.

Some political observers and stakeholders believe that the reason for the holiday announced by the governor is to stop the inauguration exercise and, perhaps, buy him more time to take political steps to stall impeachment process.

The Assembly had last week directed Mammadi to constitute the investigative panel basing its submission on Section 188, subsection 3 & 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, stressing that it had formed the two-third majority required by law, which is 20 out of 25 lawmakers in the House who appended their signatures for the governor and his deputy to be investigated

The chief judge had, however, hesitated but in a twist, a press release signed on his behalf by the chief registrar of the Adamawa High Court, Abubakar M. Bayola announced the setting up of the investigative panel, drawing powers from Section 185(5) of the 1999 constitution as (amended).

It had been alleged in some quarters that Mammadi was forced to approve the list of the committee by soldiers at gun point and his private residence located at Masakare in Jimeta, had been taken over by armed soldiers when visited.

Vehicles and pedestrians were barred from passing through the street.

The panel will be chaired by Buba Kaimaga (Mubi Northern Zone) while other members include Laraba Hassan (Michika Northern Zone); Njidda Kito (Song Central Zone); Joshua T. Abu (Hong Central Zone); Binanu R. Esthon (Guyuk Southern Zone); Sa’ad Lawan ( Mayo-Belwa, Southern Zone) and Esthon Gapsiso (Genye Southern Zone).