The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Haruna Tsokwa

  • Taraba and culture of impunity

    Taraba and culture of impunity

    In this piece, human rights activist Comrade Lanre Suraju contends that the political impasse in Taraba State may continue to undermine governance, the constitution and democracy.

    Community-Based Organisations, (CBOs), professional organisations and the human rights community have expressed concern about developments in Taraba State.

    In recent times, governance has virtually collapsed in Taraba State and there seems to be the conspiracy of silence across the country. For one thing, Taraba is in the Northeast, distant from the mainstream media and isolated from the economic hubs in Nigeria.

    Events in this remote state continue to suffer excommunication and isolation from the rest of the country. This is to the excruciating pains of the people of Taraba State, whose economic and political lives are negatively being affected by the inactivity of an ailing governor, who nevertheless has become enslaved and trapped by a cabal that has no legitimacy, no constitutional status and no political structure. Yet, the cabal continues to rule the state by exploiting the ill disposition of the legitimately elected Governor of the state, His Excellency, Dambaba Suntai.

    Governor Danbaba Suntai had an accident during a crash involving a small plane, which he was flying. He was taken abroad. He was yet to fully recover when he was virtually dragged to the seat of power after he was away for 10 months, hence, the struggle for the political and economic control of the State began. In the course of this bizarre struggle, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, slumped at his residence and was rushed to Jalingo Federal Medical College where he later died and was he buried on November 28, 2013.

    This incidence is reminiscence of the case involving the late President Musa Yar Adua when efforts were made by an exploitative cabal to keep him in power against his prevailing health condition.

    In Taraba, a small clique fraudulently claiming to act on behalf of the ailing governor has unsuccessfully tried to hijack the leadership of the state, including the running of the finances of the state. The health challenges of the governor is being compounded by the antics of a self-serving group that wants to keep him in power, instead of allowing him to go for full medical treatment.

    It is appalling that the control of political power and the resources of the state are being lifted above the safety and well-being of the state governor. It is high time Nigerians spoke out and stood on the part of the people of Taraba state who deserve good governance and the right to know the state of health of the leader they had freely elected.

    This is the time to speak out against the criminal and inhuman act of a small, unfeeling group that is more concerned about making financial gains from the misfortune of the state Governor. As it is, Taraba, given the weak democratic institutions and the weak civil society tradition in this great state of cultured people, can no longer speak for itself. The Human Rights Community needs to take over this campaign for sanity in governance.

    One is alarmed that the state of Suntai’s health remains undisclosed to the people that elected him. This has continued to fuel distrust and apprehension. The electorate is therefore not aware if the person they have elected is the one running the state or his unelected, curious and shadowy kitchen cabinet.

    The desperation by the cabal to keep the state in its pocket reached a feverish peak recently when attempts were made to assassinate the current speaker of the House of Assembly. We should also not forget that the former speaker of the Taraba House of Assembly, Tsokwa died in mysterious circumstances.

    The failure of Inspector General of Police, to investigate the forged letter to the House of Assembly said to have been written and signed by Governor Suntai is equally worrisome. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice have refused to obey the court order of an Abuja Federal High Court to cause a letter to the acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar for Medical report on Governor Suntai. An obvious indication of Conspiracy involving government at the federal level.

    At present two, people are standing as governors of one state with conflicting orders. The instability in the state can lead to further break down of law and order, violence and at present constitutes another major threat to democratic renaissance in Nigeria.

    The situation in Taraba has further underlined the fear that politicians value political power, its associated pecks and privileges more than human lives. The House of Assembly in Taraba is to as a matter of urgency institute the process of ascertaining the state of health of the state governor.

    At the height of the controversy, the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, intervened, volunteering that it was better for Suntai to resume his treatment in New York where he came from. The association used the opportunity to appeal to governments in this country to vote more money to the health sector. This is to stem down the huge quantum of medical tourism Nigerians currently indulge in. Suntai has refused to either accept NMA’s counsel or allow the state government function with his deputy as his replacement inspite of overwhelming evidence that it would be better to subscribe to both. The National Assembly has been too busy to intervene on this even as the greatest beneficiary of the child of necessity theory in governance, President Jonathan, has also chosen to be indifferent.

    For now, Taraba is one of the few states that hardly make newspaper headlines on account of violent fights. As the fate of the governor hangs in the balance, especially with the sudden demise of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, violence may not be far from bursting open. How often shall it be repeated that those who make peaceful change impossible shall make violent change inevitable? As we speak, neither the concerned state governments nor the Federal Government has any workable solution to the Ombatse phenomenon in Nasarawa. Yet, the protracted Plateau State killings which has taken the lives of thousands including that of a senator remains far from over as it renews by the day.

    As the chief executive of his state, Governor Suntai swore to defend the constitution on assumption of office but the extent of his faithfulness to this today, after a long period of self-inflicted fate, leaves a lot to be desired. Not only has he denied the state the leadership he promised, the character of the leadership he was even able to offer will hardly qualify as a model for anyone. Governor Suntai allegedly acquired three aircrafts, following his assumption of office as the governor of a state that has no airport. The implication of this is clear: He is an absentee governor and got his absenteeism prolonged, even if unwillingly.

     

    Olanrewaju Suraju is the chairman, CSNAC

     

  • I’ll end political impasse, says Taraba Speaker

    Taraba State House of Assembly yesterday elected Josiah Sabo Kente, representing Wukari I constituency, as the new speaker.

    The former Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa, from Takum I constituency, slumped and died of a “heart-related ailment” last Monday.

    During plenary yesterday, Emmanuel Dame, representing Ardo-Kola constituency, moved the motion for Kente to be the new speaker.

    Hamanadama Abdullahi (Bali II constituency) seconded the motion, describing Kente as “capable and recommended by the Deputy Governor Garba Umar, whom the G-16 transferred power to, to continue to act.

    Kente, who is serving a second term, was chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state. He was also the Taraba Television (TTV) correspondent covering the Government House.

    Kente promised to end the crisis bedevilling the state since Suntai’s return from a 10-month medical trip abroad, ‘’in the interest of all.”

    Kente said he would reunify members of the Assembly to legislate well, for good governance.

    “My priority will be to work towards ensuring that we close ranks and not allow anything to divide us further. United we stand, divided we fall.

    “We are in a learning period, and the entire nation is keenly watching what transpires here and how we handle our state’s political issues.

    “My prayer is for the lessons learnt from this saga to teach us to avoid towing the same path of crisis we have passed through,” Kente said.

  • Will Speaker’s death end Taraba impasse?

    Will Speaker’s death end Taraba impasse?

    A key factor in  resolving  the political conundrum in Taraba State,Haruna  Tsokwa ,unexpectedly died  last week, upsetting  calculations  about the  conflict.He was Speaker of the State Assembly  and a strong ally of Acting Governor Garba Umar. Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO writes that  Tsokwa’s death could  turn out to be  an opportunity for the other players in the stalemate to reach a truce.

    Haruna Tsokwa ,47,had the state House of Assembly effectively under his control.With 15 of the 24 members on his side, and by extension, on the side of Acting Governor Garba Umar, he had the ability to tilt the scale in whatever direction he chose in the struggle for power between  recuperating Governor  Danbaba Suntai and the acting governor.

    However,last Monday,he slumped and died of  a “heart-related ailment”. Some people attribute his death to the crisis.Maybe.

    The deceased had led 15 of the 24-member Assembly to stop Governor Danbaba Suntai from resuming duty on his return from medical treatment abroad.

    The governor had been  critically injured on October 25, last year when a plane he flew crashed in Yola, Adamawa State. The state lapsed into confusion upon his return in August after   the late Speaker pronounced  him  unfit to author a letter in which he sought the permission of the legislature to resume work.

    Instead,Tsokwa with the support of the majority members of the assembly,mandated  Umar to continue to act as governor  and  insisted    that Suntai should return to the United States  of America for further treatment.The governor replied  that he was well and fit to function.His supporters would not hear of any move to stop him from returning to office immediately.Courtesy calls on him followed in quick succession to debunk claims that he could neither  recognise people and nor speak coherently.

    The PDP, of which all the players in the crisis are members, dispatched  a fact-finding team led by Senator Hope Uzodinma as part of the efforts to find a solution to the logjam. The team recommended that power  be ceded to Umar in an  acting capacity  but said he must take instructions from Suntai on “major decisions.”

    The  pro-Umar  state legislators   rejected the decision and  accused  the Uzodinma committee of taking sides and acting a script prepared by the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur.

    The pro-Suntai legislators led by the House  Majority Leader, Joseph Albasu  called for  “strict compliance with the provisions of the constitution.”

    Suntai sued the late Speaker and some of the lawmakers. He urged the court to interpret Section 190(2) of the Constitution which deals  with transmission of letter and resumption of work by a governor after prolonged absence.

    Justice Ali Ibrahim Andeyangtso, who is handling the matter referred  it  to the Appeal Court, on the grounds that the interpretation of Section 190(2) has never attracted any judicial pronouncement. This followed the inability of the parties to settle out of court.

    Before the court’s ruling on the application by the defendants for referral, lead counsel to the governor, Alex Izinyon, SAN, had applied that the ruling be adjourned for three weeks, because the parties in the suit were exploring “possible and amicable ways of resolving the dispute out of court”.

    But no deal was struck. It was gathered that truce was not reached because the acting  governor refused to comply with the conditions given him by Suntai loyalists. Although,technically  the legal battle is between Suntai and the late Speaker, it is in reality a confrontation  between Suntai and Umar, who is accused of scheming to consolidate his hold on power and possible edge out his boss.

    After all,    victory in the suit  for the late Speaker would mean  victory for Umar  to continue to run the affairs of Taraba as acting governor.

    One of the conditions  opposed by Umar is that he should  drop the title of acting governor and answer only deputy governor.

    Another is that he should  remove Ahmed Yusuf as Chief of Staff, an appointment he made before the governor returned from abroad.

    In defiance, the acting  governor sent a list of commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for a new State Executive Council (Exco).Only  the court stopped the deceased Speaker from proceeding to  take action on ratifying the list.

    The court also rejected an affidavit sworn to by Governor Suntai’s wife,Hauwa ,and his younger brother,Babangida Suntai,in which they sought to withdraw ,on behalf of the Suntai larger family, the suit between the governor and the state assembly.

    With Tsokwa’s death coming as  a shock  to both factions in the political crisis,all seems quiet for now in the two camps.And the situation is likely to remain so until the burial of the Speaker slated for November 28.

    But there are suggestions in the state that the various actors are reflecting on the crisis and may soon reach out for each other  without a view to striking  a deal in the interest of the state and its people.

    Tsokwa’s successor as Speaker ,in particular,will have a huge role to play in bringing the two camps together because the only victims of the current power play have been the ordinary people of Taraba.

    Perhaps,he needs to  reflect  on the admonition  of the acting governor  on the situation in the state that in politics there is no permanent ally or foe, what is permanent is interest, and  that in life what is more permanent is death.

  • Late Speaker a politician of considerable standing – Suntai

    Late Speaker a politician of considerable standing – Suntai

    Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, has described the death of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa as a loss to not just to the state but Nigerian democracy as a whole.

    Tsokwa died of heart related ailments on Monday.

    The governor in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Hassan Mijinyawa, described the deceased as a politician of considerable standing.

    “Tsokwa represented Takum 1 constituency in the state House of Assembly since 2007 and has performed creditably well.

    “The speaker died at a time when Taraba State is confronted with mild political crisis expected in a vibrant democracy such as ours.

    “He will be remembered for his ability to stand firm by any cause he believed in and his contribution to the democratic experience in Taraba State,” the statement said.

     

     

     

  • Taraba Speaker dies of heart ailments

    Taraba Speaker dies of heart ailments

    Taraba state is in grieving mood over the death of the Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa.

    Tsokwa died at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo –the state capital in the early hours of Monday.

    He was 47 years.

    The FMC’s Medical Director, Dr. Wizard Inusa, declined comment on what killed the man who, until the tragedy, was thought to be well.

    Undisclosed sources said he died of “heart-related ailments.”

    His aides said he slumped at home before he was rushed to the hospital, from where he gave up the ghost.

    This is not the first time the deceased slumped, a family source told The Nation.

    Tsokwa was nominated to lead the state Christian pilgrimage to Israel on November 3 but could not travel on health grounds when he reportedly slumped last week.

    The Taraba State House of Assembly’s Public Relations Officer, Timothy Iyard, who officially confirmed the demise of the Speaker to journalists, only said the deceased died of “brief illness.”

    The Speaker’s body was moved from the FMC and deposited at a mortuary in the Specialist Hospital, Jalingo.

    The deceased was representing Takum I constituency in the state Assembly.

    He became Speaker on April 22, after former Speaker Istifanua Haruna Gbana was impeached by the House.

    Tsokwa had led 15 lawmakers, out of the 24-member Assembly, to stop Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai from resuming duty, in spite of the letter the recuperating governor transmitted to the Assembly on his readiness to resume duty.

    Instead, he transmitted power to the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, to continue to act, insisting that Suntai should return to the United States for further treatment.

    Suntai, exasperated by the affront, filed litigation against the late Speaker and majority of the lawmakers, praying the court to give judicial interpretation of Section 190(2) of the Constitution –a Provision which deals with transmission of letter and resumption of work by a governor after prolonged absence.

    The matter was referred to the Appeal Court following the inability of the parties to settle out of court.

    Tsokwa had come under attack by unknown gunmen during a trip along Akwanga-Abuja Road in which his security aide was shot and later died.

    His community in Takum had opposed his stand against the recuperating governor.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Suntai’s suit referred to Appeal Court

    Suntai’s suit referred to Appeal Court

    The High Court in Jalingo –the Taraba State capital on Monday referred the case filed by Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai against the Speaker Haruna Tsokwa and the state House of Assembly to the Court of Appeal for “guidance and direction.”

    Suntai, through his lead counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), is praying the court to interpret Section 190(2) in relation to the letter he transmitted to the Assembly on August 26 on his readiness to resume duty but was turned down by the lawmakers, who said he must appear on the floor of the House and address them.

    The defendants are seeking referral of the case to appeal court, on grounds that the interpretation of section 190(2) has never attracted any judicial interpretation.

    In his ruling, Justice Ali Andeyangtu, said there was need to refer the matter to a higher court for judicial pronouncement that would become a reference point, owing to the “importance of the case to Taraba people.”

    “Transferring the case to the court of appeal is pertinent because no previous judicial pronouncement has been made on this section of the constitution in the country,” he said.

    The judge, however, noted that “the matter requires the application and interpretation of section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”

    Section 190(2) talks about transmission of letter and resumption of duty by a governor.

    The plaintiff and the defendants had asked the court, three weeks ago, to allow them settle their dispute out of court but were unable to reach compromise within the time given by the court.

     

     

  • Taraba Speaker to Suntai: Go back to hospital

    Taraba Speaker to Suntai: Go back to hospital

    The Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, on Thursday ordered Governor Danbaba Suntai to go back to the hospital for treatment until he is “capable of administering the state.”

    In a press release, signed by Tsokwa, the House said the Deputy Governor Garba Umar, remains acting governor.

    16, out of the 24-member House signed that Suntai should not resume on health grounds.

    Those for Umar include: Haruna Tsokwa (Takum I constituency), Tamko Adamu (Gassol I), Mohammed Gwampo (Yorro), Josiah Sabo Kente (Wukari I), Mohamed Umar (Gashaka), Ibrahim Imam (Jalingo I), Yahaya Abduraman (Gassol II) and Iratsi Daki (Ussa).

    Others are: Rashia Abdullahi (Ngoroje), Aminu Jalingo (Jalingo II), Emmanuel Dame (Ardo-Kola), John Bonzema (Zing), AA Jugulde (Gembu), Hamandama Abdullahi (Bali II), Abdulkarim Mohammed (Ibbi) and Edward Baraya (Karim II).

    Tsokwa said the House met with the governor on Tuesday, but the governor spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the House.

    The Speaker said: “it is no longer news that the Governor of Taraba State, Pharm. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in plane crash on October 25, 2012, whereof, he was flown to Germany for treatment in a condition that made him incapable of transmitting a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly, informing it of his absence in office.

    “The House invoked the provisions of Section 190(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and transmitted power to his deputy to act the office of the governor of Taraba State.

    “We are all living witnesses to the way and manner the governor was brought into the state on Sunday, August 25.

    “The leadership of the Taraba State House of Assembly made several efforts to see him since his arrival, but till yesterday (Wednesday) August 28 that they were allowed access to the ailing governor. And their visit revealed that he spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.”

     

     

     

  • Taraba Speaker misinterpreting the constitution – Commissioner

    Taraba Speaker misinterpreting the constitution – Commissioner

    The crisis over Taraba Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai’s resumption of work continued across the state on Wednesday.

    The state Commissioner for Justice, Barr. G.T Kataps, on Wednesday accused the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, 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 said that Suntai has indeed returned to work.

    He briefed reporters in his office, State Secretariat, Jalingo –the state capital shortly before the cabinet was dissolved by Governor Suntai.

    The Speaker on Tuesday disagreed with the House Majority Leader Hon. Joseph Albasu over Suntai’s purported resumption of work.

    Suntai was injured when a plane he piloted crashed near Yola, Adamawa State, on October 25, last year.

    He returned to Jalingo on Sunday after a 10-month stay in German and American hospitals.

    On Monday, he transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly, informing the lawmakers of his readiness to begin work. But while the House Majority Leader and other members of the House proclaimed Suntai as physically and mentally fit to govern, the Speaker, who thought otherwise, insisted that Suntai must appear on the floor of the House and speak to them.

    The governor’s return has divided the House of Assembly and the entire state.