The crisis in Taraba State might
worsen following the alleged plot to remove the Acting Governor of the
state, Alhaji Garba Umar.
But a pressure group, Taraba Justice
Forum, yesterday pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene
in the constitutional challenge facing the state.
Investigation by our correspondent
revealed that loyalists of Governor Danbaba Suntai have perfected plans
to remove the Acting Governor.
It was learnt that the pro-Suntai men have been alleging that Umar is disloyal to his principal.
They also claimed that the Acting
Governor had lobbied the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and some forces in the presidency to remove the governor.
Suntai’s loyalists alleged that were it
not for security implications of Umar’s lobbying, the presidency almost
conceded to his agitation.
They accused Umar of voting for Governor
David Jang during the election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to
earn the confidence of the presidency to become the governor of Taraba
State.
A top source said: “There is a plan to
remove the Acting Governor. Some loyalists of Suntai are already going
about to influence members of the state House of Assembly to impeach
Umar.
“Their main grouse is that Umar is
disloyal. In one of their meetings, one of those aggrieved said: “Can
you imagine that the man had only N48, 000 in his account when he was
appointed a deputy governor? Now he wants to be governor; we won’t allow
it. I think he should be the one to go.
“Some of them are trying to introduce
ethnic and religious sentiments to impeach Umar. Their first target now
is to hijack the House of Assembly from the control of the Speaker,
Haruna Tsokwa.”
It was learnt that another set of
Suntai’s supporters are aggrieved that “Umar allegedly backed Jang
during the the NGF crisis to enable the House of Assembly to invoke
Section 189 of the 1999 constitution to declare Suntai permanently
incapacitated.”
But pro-Umar supporters have faulted the position of Suntai’s sympathizers.
A source in the Umar camp said: “For 10
months, the Acting Governor refused to move into the Government House
and he was still using his office. Is that an ambitious person?
“Apart from paying a get-well visit to Suntai, he made sure that the state government footed the medical bill of the governor.
“Suntai’s loyalists can crosscheck from
the presidency whether Umar betrayed his boss in any manner whatsoever.
They are complaining that he sacked some members of the executive. What
should he do if things were wrong?”
Responding to a question, the source
added: “We are aware of a plot to remove Umar so that he won’t take over
from Suntai, if he is incapacitated.
“I think they want to remove Umar before declaring Suntai unfit as a governor. They have a game plan.”
On its part, the Taraba Justice Forum last night asked President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the crisis.
The group, which made the demand in a
statement by its General Secretary, Barrister John Ambulus, said the
presidential intervention was necessary to avoid implosion.”
The statement said: “Mr. President,
please intervene now before the impending chaos and implosion. The
National Assembly, act now so that you won’t have to take over the
Taraba State House of Assembly later.
“Taraba State House of Assembly, remain
steadfast on the path of truth; see the process to conclusion. Section
190 of the Constitution cannot be a cover for illegality.”
The forum insisted that the Taraba State House of Assembly acted legally by rejecting Suntai’s letter of resumption.
The forum added: “We again use this
medium to affirm that the Taraba State House of Assembly acted within
the letters and spirit of the constitution by their rejection of the
purported letter of resumption of duty allegedly sent by the governor
and their resolution calling on the governor to proceed on medical
vacation.
”Section 190 is inferior to many
sections of the constitution which affirm that sovereignty rests with
the people, the citizens. Section 190 is not superior to the powers of
the legislature to oversight activities of the executive and apply
removal option if sufficient evidence is collated.
“Specifically, nothing can remove powers
of the legislature to investigate and act as provided for in Section
128 of the constitution.
”We commend the magnanimity of the
lawmakers who, after seen the governor, were moved to tears and choose
to ask him to go on medical leave.
“We note the sense of patriotism and
good judgment of Taraba caucus of the National Assembly who have also
endorsed decisions so far taken by the Taraba State House of Assembly.
”It is time for the immediate family of
the governor to stop the cabal from further using their man as political
bargaining chip.
“It is inhuman and unfair to the governor who is not in control of his life.
”We also salute the courage and good
judgment of the PDP leadership for setting up a committee earlier on and
for promising to intervene before the situation degenerates further.
“Lastly, we call on the acting governor,
Garba Umar, to continue to act with caution and high sense of integrity
while offering total support to Suntai in this difficult period.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Alh Garba Umar cannot convince any rational human being that he is not over-ambitious and that he does not covet his boss' post, when a few months after taking over in acting capacity, he pulled down the structures of his boss' platform of governance at the assembly and executive levels. How was his boss suppose to administer when he returned? He had made up his mind that Suntai would never return. Gross disloyalty. What ever the situation is, people insist that the laws be respected. What is playing out in Jalingo is the arrogance of the Hausa/Fulani over the northern minority tribes where they believe they have a right to leadership irrespective of their number and qualification. They would use their brothers at federal levels as they have linked up at NASS to perpetrate self interest. We are witnessing a slowed process because the president is not hausa/fulani. Otherwise, directives would have since come from Abuja declaring Alh Garba Umar the substantive Gov of Taraba State.
ReplyDeleteThe truth about the whole saga in Taraba is that, from the aircrash, the Gov's survival and the current manipulation of governance, everything is shrouded in secret spiritualism which many will not believe. Others believe but would not dare discuss it publicly. The fear of Umar is that Suntai's presence in Taraba could facilitate his full recovery from the spiritual world to his disadvantage. That is why people in his camp are pretending to be sympathetic to him by asking Suntai to go for further medical treatment. How many of them went to welcome him at the airport if they are truly loyal and sympathetic. Hypocrites! They have virtually looted the whole treasury of the state and shared among themselves and others they believe will give them support to retain the gov's seat. Alh Umar and his supporters' evil ambition will only damage their future political career and further strain whatever little peace that exist between the Hausa/Fulani in Taraba and the locals. It is even worse if we realize that their constituency can never win a local gov't chairmanship in Taraba in the near future as long as democracy depends on numbers.
The question is " is Suntai fit to rul the state?
ReplyDeleteAnswering the question whether Suntai is fit to rule Taraba or not is a process provided for in the constitution. Establish it accordingly & no one will argue period.
ReplyDeleteI think the first writer is carried away with sentiments, 1. Umar is not a Hausa /Fulani but a local wurkun tribe. 2. Umar staliblized the finances of the state from a debt of over #3.8b to a credit of over#4b now as commended by NLC and hon minister of finance. Pls always cross check before saying anything.
ReplyDeleteIs leadership in PDP has to do with money worth thousands of naira? how comes the so-called loyalists will influence the arms of govt? are you paid to do such a thing?pls play by the rules! let the Suntai hold his seat instead of dances with his tune.Na wa for the loyalists O !!!
ReplyDeleteFor Gods sake, d Umar man is NOT a hausa man. He can't even speak d language properly!!
ReplyDelete