Taraba lawmakers ask Suntai to return to hospital while his wife begs them not to impeach.

Suntai's wife

It has just been announced that Taraba lawmakers decided to ask Governor Danbaba Suntai to go back to the United States to continue his treatment.

Haruna Tsokwa, the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, speaking on behalf of the lawmakers asked the governor to return to the U.S. to continue his rehabilitation programme and only come back to run his office when he is fully fit.

The Speaker addressed journalists in Jalingo on the morning of August 29, 2013, Thursday.

This address follows the visit of 24 lawmakers to Mr. Suntai on Wednesday night, and their promise to speak out today.

Mr. Tsokwa added that all the lawmakers were convinced Mr. Suntai is not fit to return to office.

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: “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.

A source close to the state Assembly said some members loyal to Mr. Umar had commenced scouting for signatures preparatory for the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the ailing governor.

The State Assembly itself had on Tuesday backed Mr. Umar to continue as acting governor until Mr. Suntai
The crisis deepened further with Hajia Hauwa, the wife of Governor Danbaba Suntai, called on members of the State House of Assembly not to impeach her ailing husband.
 

The legislators began the impeachment move on August 28, 2013, after the governor announced the dissolution of the state cabinet through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Sylvanus Giwa.

According to sources, earlier today Hauwa got wind of the impeachment move and quickly arranged for the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, and a few other legislators to visit the governor.
 

It should also be noted that Hauwa did not allow the Speaker or the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, to have

audience with Governor Suntai since he was brought back to Nigeria on August 25, 2013, Sunday.

However, Hauwa’s intervention has small chances to succeed, as, reportedly, most of the legislators have already signed the impeachment notice.

What really angered the legislators was the allegedly stage-managed video of Suntai’s purported broadcast to the people of the state.

Taraba residents were also annoyed, said there was nothing like a live broadcast by the ailing governor as reported by a section of the media, adding that it was a stage-managed recorded tape that the state owned television station broadcast on August 28, 2013.

According to sources, the swearing in of the new Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Timothy Kataps, was also stage-managed as none of the documents pertaining to his swearing in was signed by the Commissioner for Oaths.

 

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