Taraba crisis deepens, as Suntai dissolves cabinet
He wrote to the Assembly on Tuesday informing the lawmakers of his return to the country and his desire to take back power from the Deputy Governor, Garba Umar, who held sway while he was away. But lawmakers responded by asking him to appear before them because they were still not sure if he had sufficiently recovered to resume his duties. In fact, Speaker of the Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, insisted that the Deputy Governor, Umar, still remains the Acting Governor, until the Assembly deliberates on the letter transmitted to it by Suntai. However, state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, G.T. Kataps, on Wednesday gave reasons why the Governor did not need to appear before the Assembly before taking over power.
Kataps accused the Speaker of misinterpreting the Constitution. “Misinterpreting the law, as the Taraba Speaker is doing is capable of causing discord to our people who may not have access to the Constitution and may not know the correct position of the law,” he said. Kataps added that Suntai has indeed returned to work. He briefed reporters in his office at the Secretariat, Jalingo, the state capital. Moments later, Suntai announced the dissolution of the state’s entire cabinet and named Kataps as new Secretary to the State Government and Aminu Jika as the new Chief of Staff. However, sources close to Government House, Jalingo, told an online news agency that the announcement was hatched by Suntai’s wife, Hauwa. Sources in the camp of the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, also told the agency that the cabinet dissolution carries no effect. They urged residents to disregard the purported dissolution of the cabinet and go about their normal duties. The Acting Governor and several commissioners, including security chiefs in the state, attended a meeting where they planned to adequately respond to the development, sources stated.
The Speaker, who addressed a press conference in Jalingo, had said the Assembly was thankful to God that Suntai had returned to the state. But he said the leadership of the Assembly was not allowed access to the Governor since he returned on August 24 and that he had not been seen in public either. The Speaker briefed reporters in his office on Tuesday evening after the Assembly Majority Leader, Joseph Albasu, earlier declared that Suntai had taken charge. Tsokwa expressed worry that “a cabal’’ was working to cause confusion and hijack the state politically. He described the group as “desperate and selfish politicians” that had no interest of Taraba State at heart. “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 and address the people through their elected representatives. “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.
“In making this request, we have no other motive than love of our dear state as well as the well-being of our dear Governor and the happiness of his family,’’ Tsokwa added. Speaking on the development, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, called on Nigerians to rise up “to save Taraba State from impunity.”nHe said he had written to agencies of the Federal Government to caution on the unfolding developments in Taraba State. Falana, at an interview session with journalists in Calabar on Wednesday said “a cabal is holding Taraba State to ransom,” thereby creating the impression that the ailing Governor’s return was to create political confusion in the state. Falana described the dissolution of the state cabinet and appointment of a new SSG and Chief of Staff as an unfortunate development. “Unfortunately another political cabal has emerged in Taraba State to cause confusion and deny the ailing Governor the opportunity to have himself fully treated.
“From the information at my disposal, he is not in a position to write a letter, to sign, to compose a letter and send the letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly. “Hence I have already done a petition to the IG to investigate the circumstance surrounding the writing of that letter. “I have also written another letter to the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly to set up a committee to investigate the health situation of the Governor.” Similarly, Lagos based constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Itse Sagay, while reacting described as “very suspicious” the claim by Suntai that he has dissolved his cabinet. Sagay believes that some people close to the Governor are illegally acting on his behalf to carry out state functions just because they wanted to perpetually cling to power. “The first question we need to ask is: ‘Has the House of Assembly accepted that he is back to resume formally and therefore allow him to resume as Governor. That issue has to be decided first before he begins to exercise power. “What is happening these days is very, very disturbing. We have a situation where chief executives are treating power as if they are monarchs. “In other words, they are behaving as if it is a right that they are entitled to for life,” Sagay noted. Also speaking, another Lagos based lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, said the Presidency should not intervene in the political crisis. Deputy Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rotimi Abiru, urged the Taraba State House of Assembly to begin impeachment process against the ailing Governor, saying “the Governor is incapacitated and unfit to continue governing the state.”
Source: Daily Independent
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