As President Goodluck Jonathan plans to withhold the statutory revenue allocations of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States as well as control their internally generated revenues in line with the State of Emergency Proclamation Act 2013, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa has vowed to challenge any attempt to temper with his state’s funds.
Nyako said it was unconstitutional and illegal for the President to seize funds meant for the three state governments affected by the declaration emergency rule.
Making his stance known through his Director of Press and Public Affairs Ahmad Sajo, Nyako said it would be an overbearing exercise of power for the president to seize state funds.
He noted that the president cannot even act independently of the National Assembly to declare a state of emergency because it would amount to one man controlling the whole nation.
In a democracy, he said, no one has such power which would cripple and render the states useless, adding “definitely, the affected governors will go to the Supreme Court should the president make the move.”
