PEOPLES DAILY EDITORIAL: Save Taraba from Suntai’s cabal

Yesterday Taraba lawmakers rose to the occasion and averted what could have possibly led to chaos in which a scenario of two governors for one state was imminent.But the lawmakers jettisoned political differences and base sentiments, two pervasive ills permeating the politics of that state, by asking ailing governor Danbaba Suntai to return to the United States where he was receiving treatment following a ghastly plane crash nearly a year ago until he is fit to govern.
We commend the lawmakers for nipping in the bud what, to us in Peoples Daily, would have led to chaos and possible subversion of the people's will.The decision by the legislators to halt Suntai from assuming office was the climax of a series of dramatic events that began to unfold last Sunday when the clearly sickly governor was hurriedly ferried home to thwart the installation of his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar, as constitutionally required.
Suntai's frail appearance, slurred speech and body language from the moment he was assisted out of the aircraft that brought him back home confirmed long held suspicions that he is unfit, for now, to rule and that a cabal intent on re-enacting the familiar late President Umaru Yar'adua saga had taken Taraba and its people hostage.

Any doubt was shredded by what the ailing governor subsequently did.First was the letter he dispatched to the state House of Assembly giving notice of his return and readiness to take charge again; and a cabinet dissolution followed by new appointments in government house. This is an energized governor rearing to go. This should be good news for Tarabans, in particular, and Nigerians generally. Curiously, Suntai rebuffed entreaties to appear before the state Assembly and was inaccessible to even the acting governor who had held the forte for 10 months.

In reality Suntai needs medical attention.The intent of the cabal wanting him to take charge is clearly self serving.The picture Nigerians saw that Sunday afternoon was that of a sick man assisted from the back and by the sides to alight from the chartered plane that brought him.The governor on arrival in Jalingo later that evening was driven straight into government house without so much as a wave of hands to appreciate government officials and well wishers who had turned out to welcome him.Literally locked away behind the high barb-wired fences of the government house, the governor refused to see his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar, who had been holding the forte in his long absence, and leaders of the state House of Assembly.
The governor failed to honour an "invitation" by the House to address it on his health and how ready he was to return to work. He instead chose to make a broadcast on state television from which Jalingo-based journalists were kept away. Those who watched the broadcast captured by online news media said they saw a truly sick man looking into space and stumbling over words, his voice hardly audible. An apparently forced meeting with the legislators led by House Speaker, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, only confirmed their fears about the governor's fitness. For the first time, the legislature which had split several times over how to handle the Suntai saga, agreed unanimously that the governor didn't write the letter to the House communicating his return. Sixteen of the 24 members signed a press release given out by the Speaker after the Wednesday meeting with the governor.
This disingenuous contrivance to keep a very sick man in power, clearly without him knowing, is the handiwork of a cabal intent on preserving the status quo.We dare say they dread losing out in a new power equation should Suntai fail to return to his seat and acting governor Umar assumes full powers as governor. Self-preservation has pushed this cabal into desperation to the extent that they made several attempts at smuggling Suntai from his hospital bed and out of Germany and physically propping him up in his seat in government house, Jalingo. They put photos of the man in newspapers showing him receiving visitors who were standing and smiling down at him. This was supposed to be a man recovering from his crash injuries, but clearly he was not. In one particular picture, Suntai was aloof and his face blank. Photos don't lie, do they? They even went so far as to obtain a court injunction stopping the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from investigating the governor's health. The tragedy of the cabal's antics is at two levels: personal because it was prepared to sacrifice Suntai to retain the privileges of their offices; the other level was their determination to make a whole state dysfunctional for as long as their selfish interest was going to be served. And into this dangerous power game the cabal threw anything conceivable, but religion and ethnicity mostly.
Meanwhile, Taraba was going into a spin, a free fall, kind of. That was the circumstance of Suntai's return. Come to think of it, it was good that he did return, after all. It made the scales fall from the eyes of the state's legislators either too naïve to see the script for what it was or too carried away by their self worth. Thankfully, now they are seeing more clearly, and beginning to appreciate the burden of responsibility they owe Taraba state and its ordinary people in crying need of good governance. However, it is one thing to know a problem and another to go about solving it. The problem here is that Suntai is in no position to return to office. He first should save his life. But Suntai won't go further treatment as the House has recommended, it should impeach him and elevate Umar to full governor. This is the much the legislators owe Taraba state.

http://peoplesdailyng.com/save-taraba-from-suntais-cabal/#comment-39426

Exclusive Picture of Governor Suntai 'First Day in office' : Power tussle grinds Taraba to a halt

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos and Yusha'u Alhaasn Jalingo

Power tussle between a cabal around the Taraba state governor, Danbaba Suntai and his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar on one hand, and between the ailing governor and the state House of Assembly on the other, is currently threatening effective governance of the state.
Suntai, yesterday, purportedly announced the dissolution of the state executive council through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sylvanus Giwa.
There was suspicion that the plot to sack all members of the cabinet may have been hatched by the ailing governor's cabal, who had provided a protective wall around him, denying Suntai's deputy, Umar and members of the Assembly and other top government functionaries access to him.
However, Umar, in his response to the announcement of the sack of the cabinet members early yesterday had said the government was intact, urging the people to ignore the directive purportedly dissolving the executive council.
But by evening yesterday, another twist was added to the unfolding drama in Taraba state when Suntai was shown on the local television, Taraba Television (TTV) as making a broadcast to the people, in which he thanked them for their sympathy and prayers, while urging them to live in peace.
He was also shown to have sworn-in a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Gibon Timothy Kataps and the new Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mallam Aminu Jika. Kataps was the attorney general and commissioner for justice in the cabinet that was dissolved yesterday.
But, there were fears that the television broadcast may have been stage-managed by the cabal around the governor as journalists in television and radio stations, including the NTA, AIT, FRCN were not at the event.
The suspicion that the broadcast may have been stage-managed was raised by most journalists operating in the state, who pointed out that the voice in the broadcast appeared to be that of a sick man, "but was not distinct".
The atmosphere in Jalingo, the state capital, as at the time of filing this report, was tense as people were confused over the state of governance in the state, even as high wired negotiations were said to have been on between some members of the Taraba House of Assembly and Suntai's loyalists to ensure the return power to the ailing governor.
In the meantime, a lawmaker in the state said they were allowed to meet with Suntai yesterday, but simply told newsmen that the talks with the ailing governor were "meaningful".
In announcing the dissolution at the cabinet early yesterday, Giwa said those who lost their jobs included all the commissioners and special advisers.
The Suntai aide, who said the dissolution and appointments were with immediate effect, directed former members of the state Exco to hand over to the permanent secretaries in their respective ministries.
Asked if the development will not throw the state into further crises, Mr. Giwa told a correspondent of the Hausa service of the BBC that, "the reason (for the cabinet shake up) is to strengthen the government".
Asked why Suntai was yet to come out and address the people of the state, three days after his return, the SSA said, "he'll surely come out to address the public".
But the acting governor, Umar, yesterday urged the people of Taraba to remain calm and go about their normal duties.
Umar, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Kefas Sule, deliberations were on at the top to resolve the current impasse in the state.
He however said, it was the state House of Assembly that passed a resolution making him acting governor, and that it was the same House that should transfer power back to the governor.
He said he was yet to brief his principal, Suntai, on developments in the state while he was away for medical treatment abroad.
The acting governor said citizens would be informed of the outcome of the consultations he intended to have with his boss in due course.
In another development, Kefas, has said that no condition was attached to the transmission of a letter of resumption of office by the governor to the state House of Assembly.
He stated this yesterday in his office while briefing newsmen shortly after the dissolution of the state executive council.
According to Kefas, Section 90(2) of the 1999 Constitution made it categorically clear that the governor was only expected to communicate to the House of Assembly that he has resumed duty, which he did.
He said no section of the Constitution compelled Governor Suntai to appear in person before the Assembly before his resumption of duty.

http://peoplesdailyng.com/power-tussle-grinds-taraba-to-a-halt/