By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

More twists have been added to the case instituted by former Adamawa State governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, against his removal from office by the state House of Assembly last July.

Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa

Rather than get immediate justice in the case, which has been delayed for over eight months,   the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice Ibrahim Auta, has ordered the case file to be returned to Abuja for onward reassignment to another court in Bauchi thereby seizing the judgment slated for  February 12, 2015 by the Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Bilkisu Aliyu.

Documents made available to Sunday Vanguard indicated  that Auta ordered the movement of the case file from Adamawa to his office on February 4, a day after the Federal High Court in Yola had reserved judgement in the case for February 12, thereby tying the hands of the judge in the crucial matter.

The FHC Chief Judge reportedly ordered the movement of the case file to his office via a short message service, SMS, prompting the FHC Yola to remit the file to him on February 6.

The Federal High Court, to which the case has now been transferred, has immediately served hearing notice to the parties for March 17, thereby stalling whatever verdict the Yola High Court would have delivered in the case.

In the meantime, the Appeal Court has dismissed the opposition to the case by the Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Ishaya Banu, who had applied to be joined as a defendant in the matter.

The Appeal Court, sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, held that the Adamawa CJ had no material legal interest to protect in the case and upheld the decision of the Federal High Court in Yola and vacated the order stopping proceedings in Yola.

Reacting to the twist in the case, Murtala Nyako, in a statement in Abuja, insisted that the case file must be returned to the Yola FHC to deliver its judgment on the matter.