A Federal High Court in Abuja this morning ordered the removal of Acting Governor Ahmed Umaru Fintri and the swearing in of former Deputy Governor Bala Ngilari as substantive governor of the state.

Fintri was Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly until the impeachment of erstwhile Governor Murtala Nyako and purported resignation of his deputy, Ngilari, for alleged fraud which they, however, denied.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola ruled that the purported resignation of Ngilari on July 14, 2014 was invalid, null and void as it breached the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and acted upon by the House of Assembly.

Ngilari had filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling his swearing in as the governor of the state.

He claimed to have been forced by the House to write the letter and asked the court to declare the letter dated July 14, 2014 and addressed to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, as illegal, null and void.

Ngilari in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/545/14 argued that his resignation letter was in breach of the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and acted upon by the House of Assembly.

Justice Ademola ruled that Ngilari’s letter was written at a time when Nyako had not been removed, thus implying that the letter ought to have gone through Nyako as then governor, which it did not, thus rendering the resignation null and void.

He therefore ruled that Ngilari be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.

•Photo shows Adamawa Substantive Goveror Bala Ngilari.