Uncertainty Over Suntai’s Whereabouts By: Andrew Ojih, Abdullahi Umar, Midat Joseph, OLAOLU OLADIPO , Agency Report on August 30, 2013 - 4:11am in Share In spite of the unfolding controversy over the propriety of the medical fitness of Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, to govern the state and the political impasse on who is actually ruling the state, uncertainty is now trailing the whereabouts of the ailing governor. A well informed source who sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, confided to LEADERSHIP Friday last night that the governor might have been taken to an unknown destination for urgent medical treatment. He added that four Hilux buses drove to the airport at about 5p.m yesterday and after some couple of minutes, the private plane that brought the governor to Jalingo on Sunday suddenly took off”. According to the source, ‘‘the governor is too ill to even recognise his aides, but a group who feel that permutations for who becomes the governor of the state in 2015 will not favour them realised that with the governor away on treatment for so long, they would lose out. “So, they moved to bring him back. And you can see from the media reports and the different photographs during his return on Sunday that the governor is not in a right frame of mind to do anything. Don’t forget that the governor did not say a single word during that day. “But when seven members of the House of Assembly met him yesterday, they were shocked on the grounds that he could not recognise any of the lawmakers”. But another source who gave his name as Joshua Tanimu confessed that the governor is receiving urgent medical attention, claiming that Suntai is currently at the intensive care within the Government House. He said, “I can confirm to you that Suntai is in Jalingo, but he is in a critical situation, so he is in intensive care. He is closely monitored by doctors”. LEADERSHIP FRIDAY further gathered from another source at about the time of going to press yesterday that Suntai was sighted in one of the highbrow areas in Abuja for undisclosed reasons. Acting governor reverses sack order, direct commissioners, others to resume work But the Acting Governor for the state, Alhaji Garba Umar, has reversed the dissolution of the cabinet by the spokesman of Suntai, which directed the commissioners and the special advisers to hand over to their permanent secretaries. Umar further asked members of the general public to disregard yesterday’s announcement of the purported dissolution of the State Executive Council and the appointment of a secretary to the state government as well as chief of staff. In a statement issued yesterday in Jalingo by his press secretary, Mr Kefas Sule and made available to LEADERSHIP Friday, Umar said that the announcement of the dissolution of the state Excos and the appointment of a secretary to the state government as well as chief of staff was a mere attempt by a cabal to hijack the machinery of government in the state. The acting governor said “The dissolution of the Excos was not a directive by the Executive Governor”. He also re-assured the people of the state that substantial progress has been made in the ongoing discussion to resolve the misunderstandings of the past few days since the return of Suntai. The statement added that Umar was happy to note the high sense of patriotism and the brotherly manner with which Tarabians have been viewing and handling the developments, urging them to sustain this in the coming days and weeks ahead. The statement further reminded all Tarabians that a moment like this calls for greater restraint and vigilance and urged the banks in the state 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 statement further states that, “They (financial transactions) must contain verifiable signature of the Executive Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai or the verifiable signature of the acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar for the Executive Governor”. Umar remains the acting governor – Taraba Assembly Meanwhile, Taraba State House of Assembly has again resolved that the deputy governor of the state upon whom power was earlier transmitted to, by the state assembly still remain the acting governor of the state and will continue to act in that capacity pending the time the governor is capable of piloting the affairs of the state. In a statement issued by the Taraba Assembly and signed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, with signatures of 16 out of 24 members of the house and attached on the statement yesterday in Jalingo, the lawmakers said in view of the latest development on Suntai, they are convinced that he (Suntai) could not have authored the purported letter transmitted to the speaker of the Assembly. According to the statement, despite several calls to see the ailing governor since his arrival to the state on Sunday, it was only on Wednesday that the leaders of the Assembly were allowed to gain access to Suntai, adding that their visit revealed that the governor spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the speaker of the Assembly. The statement went further to say the public are all living witnesses to the way and manner the governor was brought in to the state last Sunday, which was why two –thirds members of the Assembly resolved to append their signatures for Umar to remain the acting governor of Taraba State. Those who appended their signatures are Hon. Tsokwa (the speaker), Hon. Tanko Maikarfi, deputy speaker, Muhammed Gwampo, Chief whip, and Josiah Sabo Kente, deputy majority leader. Others include Hon. Muhammed Umar, deputy chief whip, Ibrahim Adamu Imam, Minority leader, Hon. Yahaya Abdurahman , minority whip, and Hon. Iratsi I. Daki. On the lists are Hon. Rashida Abdullahi, Hon. Aminu Umar jalingo, Hon Emmanuel Dame, Hon John K. Bonzena, Hon. A.A. Jugulde, Hon. Hammanadama Abdullahi, Hon Abdulkarim Muhammed, as well as Hon. Edward Baraya. As of the time of filing this report, the vicinity of Taraba Assembly is being surrounded with soldiers and anti-riot policemen who are keeping 24 hours patrol to forestall any break down of law and order at the Assembly Complex. Also, efforts by LEADERSHIP Friday to speak with any of the eight members who refused to append their signatures proved abortive as one of them contacted on phone told our correspondent that their group is currently holding meeting at the state Assembly and will address journalists in due course. Taraba sacked commissioners handed over to perm sec But the commissioners had handed over government facilities to the permanent secretaries in their various ministry before Umar reversed the order, our correspondent who went round the various ministries at the state capital yesterday in Jalingo confirmed that the sacked commissioners from the ministries had complied with the directive of Suntai. The former commissioner of finance, Mr Iliya Wanapia and also the former commissioner overseeing the ministry of works told LEADERSHIP Friday yesterday in Jalingo that he had since handed over all government property under his care to the permanent secretary in his former ministry. “I am not a commissioner again, and as I am speaking with you, I am a very free man now”, he said. At the other ministry where LEADERSHIP Friday visited, the permanent secretaries in those ministries confirmed to our correspondent that their former commissioners had handed over all government facilities under their care to them respectively as directed by Governor Suntai. In a visit to the ministry of environment and urban development, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Umar Julde Dakka told LEADERSHIP Friday that the commissioner in his ministry is yet to hand over government facilities under his care to him due to his engagement in an official assignment in Abuja. He also said that between Friday and Monday, the commissioner would hand over all government property under his possession. The special assistant to the Governor on media and publicity, Mr Slyvanus Yakubu Giwa had earlier announced the dissolution of the cabinet and directed the commissioners to hand over to their permanent secretaries. Forces around Suntai are parasites – Shehu Sani Also, a Kaduna based social critic and President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Comrade Shehu Sani yesterday urged close associates of Suntai to desist from forcing an ailing man on the people of the state. Sani also opined that the dissolution of the Taraba executive council by Suntai was nothing but a “scripted handiwork of parasites and cronies profiteering from the plight of Governor Suntai”. Sani, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Friday, said the unfolding political drama in Taraba state is nothing but a show of shame. He said, “Taraba state is in the grip of power hungry and desperate cult hell bent on plunging the state into deeper political crisis. Governor Suntai’s alleged letter written to the state house of assembly through the majority leader makes no sensible meaning. “Mr Suntai did not formally write when he was flown out of the country in October last year, and as such he should make a physical appearance before the state house of assembly to confirm and validate his return. Mr Suntai cannot take back his seat until and unless he convene and preside over the state executive council meeting.” He added that “the dissolution of the Taraba executive council by ‘Suntai’ is nothing but a scripted handiwork of parasites and cronies profiteering from the plight of Governor Suntai.” Sani explained further that Suntai deserves all the medical attention needed “to return him to good health but not at the expense of the stipulations of the constitution and the rule of law.” “The desperation to cling on to power by Governor Suntai’s gang stands unreservedly condemned, carting an ailing man from the hospital bed to the seat of power for political gains is inhuman and ungodly,” he added. Stressing further, Sani said “Suntai needs health recovery not power recovery. He needs bed rest not power nest.” He however called on the Plateau State Governor David Jang and his Benue State counterpart Gabriel Suswam to act responsibly and help in ensuring due process of law and the letters of the constitution is applied in Taraba. He said, “Those who claim to be friends of Suntai should not force an ailing man on the people of Taraba. The impasse in Taraba is hatched and sustained by ethnic irredentists, religious bigots and merchants of crisis whose interest and evil designs will be jeopardized by the needed honourable exit of Suntai.” Let us remove sentiments Meanwhile, the National Leader of the Islamic organisation, Izala, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, has called on the state’s political elite to resolve the “Taraba problem” without recourse to religious or tribal sentiments “as Governor Suntai belongs to all of us and everybody, irrespective of religious affiliation has been praying for his well-being since October last year when he had that unfortunate accident”. The sheikh, who made this call when a delegation from Taraba state visited him in Abuja, called on General Theophilus Danjuma to wade in, “as an elder statesman from Taraba, and the nation’s voice of reason” and call the state’s stakeholders to a meeting so as to resolve the crises amicably. He added that “as an indigene and someone that envy his state, it is pertinent for me to call on the good people of the state to avoid sentiments in their opinions over what is happening.” Sheikh Bala Lau also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to come in “and as a leader of the country and the ruling party, solve the problem with tact and diplomacy”. Taraba governor held hostage by cabal - Falana Meanwhile, a human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has stated that Suntai is being held hostage by a cabal who is profiting from his ill-health. Appraising the ongoing drama in the state following the return of the governor to the country after a ten month medical sojourn overseas, Falana stated that the purported dissolution of the state executive council by the ailing governor was illegal. A statement from Falana, obtained by our correspondent yesterday urged members of the state executive to remain at their duty desks and to request an urgent meeting with the governor to ascertain the state of his health. He said, “Since Governor Suntai was brought back to the country on Sunday, August 25, 2013, by a cabal of political mongers in Taraba State he has been held incommunicado by those who have held him hostage.” Lamenting the inability of different opinion leaders to have access to the governor since his arrival into the country from the United States of America, he also flayed aides to Governor Suntai for spurning what he termed “popular demand that he address the state. “Yesterday (Wednesday), a letter was transmitted to the House of Assembly which claimed that the Governor has since resumed duty. Out of the 24 members of the House only seven believe that the letter has not been forged.” He said. On the way forward, he urged the state House of Assembly to refrain from screening the list of commissioners to replace the ‘sacked’ cabinet members just as he urged the government at the centre to muster the will to arrest the trend. Citing some portions of the Constitution, Falana wrote, “Federal Government should direct the security forces to round up the coup plotters who are currently ruling Taraba state by usurping the constitutional powers of the ailing Governor.”
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 07:48:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015