Suntai, Deputy Claim Taraba Governorship Seat.

Taraba state drifted further Wednesday without a
clear decision on who was in charge after its acting
governor, Garba Umar, dismissed the dissolution of
the state cabinet by ailing governor, Danbaba
Suntai, insisting that he would continue to act as
governor until the state assembly decided
otherwise.
Mr. Umar said he was however willing to revert to
his position as deputy governor if the House of
Assembly, which had insisted on determining Mr.
Suntai’s true health condition, asked him to do so.
“I am waiting to hear from them. As I speak to you,
if the assembly tells me to revert to the position of
deputy, I will comply,” Mr. Umar was quoted as
saying Wednesday as the state appeared to inch
towards a full-blown political crisis.
The acting governor had earlier dismissed Mr.
Suntai’s decision on Wednesday to dissolve the
state council and appoint a new secretary, insisting
that he was in charge since the state assembly
was yet to notify him that the governor, who
returned on Sunday from a 10-month medical trip
abroad, had resumed work.
In a reaction to an enquiry by PREMIUM TIMES, a
spokesperson said the steps purportedly taken by
Mr. Suntai so far were null and void.
“Before he assumed office as acting governor, a
letter was conveyed to him by the state House of
Assembly confirming him. Up till this moment, there
is no communication from the House to say that
confirmation has been reversed,” the spokesperson,
Kefas Sule, said.
“To the best of our knowledge there are no two
governments in Taraba and all members of the
State Executive Council remain in office.”
Mr. Suntai, who appeared apparently ill during his
arrival on Sunday, has made no public appearance
or given an address since his arrival, fuelling
speculation about the state of his mind and
capacity to lead the state.
The House said on Tuesday it would insist on
meeting with the governor before taking a decision.
But after what seemed a decisive effort to meet the
governor on Wednesday, the lawmakers declined to
state the details of their findings, or whether they
were allowed access to the governor or not.
The House said it would speak on the visit
Thursday (today).
Still, the tension that had built up in the state for
the most part of Wednesday appeared to have
lowered late evening after Mr. Suntai reportedly
appeared briefly on television and swore in new
cabinet appointees.
“I thank the people of Taraba State for standing by
me and my family. I also thank the commissioners
for holding the fort while I was away. Also enjoin
all of you to continue to live in peace,” he
reportedly said in a recorded remark.
Critics have accused the governor’s family and
associates of attempting to foist a critically ill
governor on the state so they can usurp his
powers.
“Whereas we sympathize with the Suntais and the
entire people of Taraba State over this unfortunate
incident and sincerely wish the ailing Governor full
recovery, we however condemn unequivocally the
attempt by some political vultures within and
outside the State who are bent on holding a whole
State to ransom and make effective governance
once again unrealistic,” a network of civil society
groups said on Tuesday.
“These charlatans have desperately kept trying to
cling to political power and by extension the
resources of Taraba State through series of craftily
woven plots of deceits, meant to hoodwink the
Nigeria public in a manner similar to the
unfortunate Turai-Yar’adua saga.”
Events since Monday appeared to give strength to
that concern as the critically ill governor issued an
immediate notification to the House of Assembly
signaling his preparedness to resume work.
Then, while lawmakers insisted he addressed them
before approving his letter, the governor, on
Wednesday, announced the dissolution of the
cabinet and named a new secretary to the state
government.
The governor named the outgoing commissioner for
Justice, Timothy Kataps, as the news SSG, and
Aminu Jika as the new Chief of Staff.
But the acting governor, Mr. Umar, dismissed the
order as null and void, and laid claim to the office
hours later.
The declaration heightened the political tension in
the state that has endured months of uncertainty
as both sides jostled for authority and sought to
outplay the other long before Mr. Suntai returned to Nigeria.