Taraba: Like Yar’Adua, like Suntai by OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU on Sep 3, 2013 | No comments Posted under: Politics OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU writes on the impasse in Taraba State over the fitness of the state governor, Danbaba Suntai, who has been away for 10 months, seeking medical treatment abroad, following injuries he sustained in a plane crash last year. This development is a replica of the political impasse involving late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua It was Sir John Dalberg-Acton, an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer, who said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” This quote made Dalberg-Alton very popular and has become almost a maxim in the study of politics across the world. It is this maxim that is playing out in Taraba State, as the ailing state governor, Danbaba Suntai is locked in a battle of wit with the state House of Assembly and the people of the state. And true to type, politicians, especially of the Nigerian stock have proved Dalberg- Alton correct in his assessment of how power corrupts and how absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is what is playing out today in Taraba State, where the state governor, Suntai, who has been away from the state due to the injuries he sustained on October 25, 2012, in an air crash while on a solo-flight, returned to the state penultimate Sunday, ostensibly to regain the seat of power he had vacated for over 10 months. Playing Yar’Adua’s script True to the media hype heralding the arrival of the governor, Suntai landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja before he proceeded to Jalingo, the Taraba State capital where he was received by the people of the state. However, National Mirror reliably gathered that associates of the governor have expressed the fear that the governor’s health is “not normal enough” for him to have left the rehabilitation centre where was receiving treatment in the United States of America. Sources close to the governor alleged that his return was akin to the return of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone for treatment for heart and kidney related ailments and that the return of Suntai was a plan by a cabal which had held the state to ransom to rule by “proxy.” President Yar’Adua had departed Nigeria for Saudi Arabia and was away for 93 days, without any information about his health status. His return was equally mysterious as his departure and his return had been premised on the fact that Section 145 of the constitution would have been invoked to allow his deputy, the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to take over the reins of governance. Yar’Adua’s eventual return against the advice of his doctors was alleged to be at the instance of a cabal, headed by his wife, Turai, in the attempt by the cabal to hold on to power at all cost, regardless of what happens to the country. Eventually, Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010, but before his death after his midnight mysterious arrival from Saudi Arabia, not even the then Vice President Jonathan was allowed to see him. More than three years after that inglorious escapade, same is playing out in Taraba State. Suntai’s wife, Hauwa, was pressured to bring back her husband so as not to lose the seat of power, just like Turai was forced to do in 2010. And now Taraba State has not known peace since the arrival of the ailing Suntai. National Mirror gathered that his return to the country was against medical advice from his doctors at the John Hopkins Hospital in the USA, where he was transferred to from Germany following an alarm by one of his doctors, Zakari Aliyu that Suntai stood the risk of becoming brain- damaged unless he was taken to the USA for specialist treatment. 2015 on their mind Investigations revealed that a senator from the state, who was alleged to be angling to take over from Suntai come 2015, was the arrowhead of the plot to bring the governor home. Another school of thought has it that allowing the incumbent acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, to continue to act would give him the opportunity to entrench himself and return in 2015 as governor. The reason for this is based on religious sentiments, which the cabal behind the untimely return of the ailing governor used to convince his wife. They also impressed on the governor’s wife that unless he returns home, section 189 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended may be invoked and her husband would lose his position as the governor of the state. Section 189 of the constitution provides that: (1) The Governor or Deputy Governor of a State shall cease to hold office if: (a) By a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the state, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and (b) The declaration in paragraph (a) of this subsection is verified, after such medical examination as may be necessary by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the Speaker of the House of Assembly; (2) Where the panel certifies in its report that in its opinion the Governor or Deputy Governor is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the State. (3) The Governor or Deputy Governor shall cease to hold office as from the date of publication of the notice of the medical report pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. (4) The medical panel to which this section relates shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly of the state, and shall comprise five medical practitioners in Nigeria. Suntai walks aided National Mirror observed that on arrival in Abuja penultimate Sunday; Suntai evidently could not walk unaided, as he was assisted by two aides to alight from the aircraft that brought him. This has led to the big question: Why the rush to return an ailing governor, who many said was still recuperating, to resume as the chief executive of his state? As intriguing as the return of Suntai was, so were the events that have been playing out in the state. Just like attempts were made in 2010 to prevent Jonathan from assuming office as acting governor, so have series of attempts been made to prevent Umar from continuing in office as the acting governor of Taraba State. Since the governor’s arrival in Jalingo, his real health status has not been verified as there have been different stories about the ability of Suntai to resume the duties of governance. Barely five days after his arrival, the governor was said to have dissolved the state executive council. He also appointed a new Secretary to the State Government, SSG, and a new Chief of Staff, CoS, last Tuesday. The dissolution of the executive council and the new appointments were announced by the Senior Special Assistant to Suntai on Media and Publicity, Silvanus Giwa at a news briefing in Jalingo, where he expressed the governor’s appreciation to the sacked commissioners and aides for their services to the state and wished them well in their future endeavours. The immediate past Commissioner for Justice, Timothy Kataps was named SSG while Alhaji Aminu Jika was also named CoS, in a shake-up said to be with immediate effect. Giwa, who told newsmen that he was addressing them on the orders of Suntai, said that the decision to do a way with the previous executive council was to re- strategise governance in Taraba State. Lawmakers move against the governor The State House of Assembly is resisting the resumption of Suntai. The Houses had earlier received a letter purported from Suntai, informing the lawmakers of his return and desire to resume duties. However, after appraising the situation, the House announced that the acting governor, Umar, should continue in that capacity until Suntai was able to make an appearance before the House to confirm that the letter transmitted to the Assembly was really from him. Addressing a press conference last Tuesday, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, said that the House decided that the acting governor continues in office, until Suntai is able to come out and address the Assembly. The lawmakers were of the opinion that the indices on ground show that Suntai is medically unfit to govern the state. Expressing worry that a “cabal” was working to throw the once peaceful state into chaos in order to hijack it politically, the Speaker described the group orchestrating and replicating the Yar’Adua saga as “desperate and selfish politicians” who do not have the interest of the state at heart. His words: “As elected representatives of our people, we will be failing in our duty to the electorate and to God Almighty if we allow this development to continue. “Our request is very simple. We want our dear governor to resist the temptation of those who want to use him to achieve their selfish interest and come out to address the people of the state. “If, on the other hand, the governor is not fit to address the people, then it means that the governor is not fit to run the affairs of the state and the House will have no hesitation in granting him leave to go back for further treatment.” The speaker said that there was the need to tread with caution, saying that the political trends in the state require caution. He also described the press briefing by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Joseph Albasu Kunini as “uncalled for and a calculated attempt to plunge the state into crisis. Kunini had told journalists that the House had received a letter from the governor informing it of his decision to resume duties and that the House had given Suntai the go ahead, having fulfilled the provision of the constitution. Asserting that he was speaking on behalf of other members of the House, Kunini, who was flanked by Hons Charles Maijankai and Ishaya Gani, averred that Suntai was “physically and mentally fit to govern the state,” even as he refuted the allegation that the signature on Suntai’s letter was forged. Kunini said: “We saw Governor Suntai in New York, United States and now that he has returned, and judging from the conversation we had with him, the governor is sound to resume work.” As the intrigues continued to play out, the lawmakers met the governor last Wednesday, where the House told him to return to the USA and continue his treatment. Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers during the meeting with the ailing governor, Speaker Tsokwa asked Suntai to return to the U.S. hospital to continue his rehabilitation programme and should only come back to run his office when he is fully fit. National Mirror learnt that at the meeting, Suntai was alleged to have referred to one of the lawmakers as his “big deputy,” to which the lawmaker was said to have told the governor that he was not the deputy governor. This further confirmed the fears of the lawmakers that the governor was yet to fully recover from his ailment. Rejection of exco dissolution Meanwhile, confusion has taken over in Taraba State, following the rejection of the dissolution of the state executive council, allegedly by Suntai, by the acting governor, Umar, who had last Thursday told the people of the state to disregard the alleged dissolution. This followed the re- affirmation of Umar as the acting governor by the House, following its rejection of the letter allegedly written by Suntai to resume office. The re- affirmation was contained in a statement signed by 16 out of the 24 members of the House. The statement, signed by Tsokwa (Speaker), Tanko Maikarfi (Deputy Speaker), Muhammed Gwampo (Chief Whip), Josiah Sabo Kente (Deputy Majority Leader), Muhammed Umar (Deputy Chief Whip), Ibrahim Adamu Imam (Minority Leader), Yahaya Abdurahman (Minority Whip) and others, read in part: “It is no longer news that the Governor of Taraba State Pharmacist Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in a plane crash on October 25, 2012, whereof, he was flown to Germany for treatment in a condition that made him incapable of transmitting a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly informing it of his absence in office. “The House invoked the provisions of section 190(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and transmitted power to his deputy to act in the office of the governor of Taraba State. We are all living witnesses to the way and manner the Governor was brought into the state on Sunday, August 25, 2013. “The leadership of the Taraba State House of Assembly made several efforts to see him since his arrival, until yesterday (Wednesday) August 28, 2013 when they were allowed access to the ailing governor and their visit revealed that he spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. “In view of the above, we are convinced that Suntai could not have authored the purported letter transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. “Be that as it may, we the undersigned members of the State House of Assembly have unanimously resolved in our meeting that the Deputy Governor upon whom power was earlier transmitted to by the state House of Assembly still remains the Acting Governor of Taraba State and he will continue to act in that regard until such a time the governor is capable of administering the state”. The acting governor, Umar, while rejecting the dissolution of the state executive council, in a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Mr. Kefas Sule, said that “the announcement is a mere attempt by a cabal to hijack the machinery of governance in the state.” Sule said in the statement: “It (the dissolution of the state executive council) is not a directive that was given by the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Suntai. “To this end, bankers are to note that all financial instruments relating to the state government’s accounts should be honoured only if they are in tandem with the provisions of the law. “The instruments must contain verifiable signature of the Executive Governor of Taraba, Danbaba Suntai and verifiable signature of Alhaji Garba Umar, the Acting Governor of Taraba State.” Mixed reactions As the power play continues in Taraba and important state matters relegated to the background, many groups and individuals have continued to call for the invocation of Section 189(4) to bring some semblance of rule of law to the state. The Taraba Justice Forum, TJF, last week condemned the video clip that had gone viral on the internet, showing Suntai swearing-in his SSG and CoS as “criminal and a deceptive propaganda”, warning that Tarabans and Nigerians in general can no longer be deceived by “fake” clips. The TJF said this in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr. John Ambulus. The statement added: “Nigerians have seen this drama all along. Seven months ago, we saw a clip without a voice. Governor Jonah Jang released a clip also without a voice, now, another clip with doubtful voicing. If Governor Suntai actually showed up and swears in his SSG and Chief of Staff, why was there no voice? Why were journalists not allowed to cover the event? If he actually addressed the state, why was it difficult for him to meet state leaders? This clip is a sham. “Luckily for us all, the lawmakers met the governor and confirmed that the man cannot recognise them. The legislators are saviours of democracy and we urge them to stand firm because history will judge them well. The cabal behind late Yar’Adua drama was punished by history; the same will happen to those punishing a sick governor and running Taraba into crisis.” Also, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, called on the Speaker to institute a five- man medical team to examine the fitness of the governor. He said that the panel should include the personal physician to the governor. Lagos- based Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), petitioned the Inspector- General of Police to probe the authorship of the letter the governor transmitted to the House. Falana contended that since his arrival in the country, the governor has been held incommunicado by those holding him to ransom and called on President Goodluck Jonathan to act on time to avoid unnecessary chaos. Falana further warned: “However, before the State is plunged into further political crisis, the attention of the captors of the ailing governor ought to be drawn to Section 1(2) of the Constitution which stipulates that no person or group of persons can take over the country or any part of it except in accordance with the provisions of the said Constitution. “The Federal Government should therefore direct the security forces to round up the coup plotters who are currently ruling Taraba State by usurping the constitutional powers of the elected Governor.” The Public Interest Lawyers League, PILL, has also raised the alarm over what it described as an abuse of the constitution, adding that despite the obvious fact that Suntai was yet to be totally fit, it was unfortunate that he was rushed back home by a powerful cabal in the state. In a statement signed by its President, Abdul Mahmud, PILL said: “We have travelled the beaten path before. Recall President Yar’Adua’s saga. As it was then, so it is now: a public servant, feeling very poorly, is corralled by criminal cabal intent on subverting the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Today, like yesteryear, Governor Suntai is imprisoned by his aides and wife who are more interested in power than that the desire to help the man deal with his fate, the circumstances he has found himself, away from prying and inquisitive public. Nigerians must help Governor Suntai out of his misery.” Presidency, PDP speak Meanwhile, the Presidency has said that it would not intervene in the Taraba State crisis despite calls in different quarters for the President and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to intervene. This was despite a statement credited to the National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, that the party will not tolerate government by proxy in the state. Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said that the decision by President Jonathan not to intervene was premised on the rule of law and the provisions of the constitution. Gulak opined that Nigeria runs on federalism and therefore the state House of Assembly was in the right position to deal with the situation. His words: “Taraba State, like any other state of the federation, has the legislature and the judiciary that are capable of resolving the crisis. “President Jonathan cannot wade into the crisis in the state. The country’s constitution has taken care of that. The President does not want to be dragged into that issue that has religious and political colouration. President Jonathan has been rightly advised on this matter. It is not negligence; it is simply respect for the rule of law.” Will the cabal in Taraba heed the voice of reason and allow the ailing governor to seek help for his health or will the Yar’Adua saga, which was settled once and for all by mother nature repeat itself? Only time and the will power of those who should act will tell.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:11:06 +0000