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Tag: Taraba State

  • Ishaku proposes N68.8 billion for 2016 budget 

    Ishaku proposes N68.8 billion for 2016 budget 

    Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku Wednesday presented to the State House of Assembly a budget of sixty eight billion and one hundred and ten million naira (N68.8 bn) for the fiscal year 2016.

    Ishaku called the appropriation bill “The Rescue Budget.”

    He said he prepared the budget bearing in mind “the realities of times.” “We can only spend what we have; our projections are conservative and based on what we feel are more certain to accrue within the 2016 fiscal period.”

    A breakdown of the rescue budget has recurrent expenditure of N42.7 billion, representing 62.10 percent, and a capital expenditure of N26 billion, representing 37.90 percent of the budget.

    The governor is expecting fiscal projections from the traditional revenues of the federal statutory allocations of N35.8 billion, Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of N5.3 billion, Value Added Tax (VAT) of N8.6 billion, Aids and Grants N5.3 billion, proposed internal loan of N12 billion and external loan draw down of N1.4 billion.

    Ishaku told The Nation that his priority would be in the areas of agriculture, health and peace.

    Housing and urban development carried the lion share of N4.8 billion, followed by skills and knowledge enhancement programme with N3.4 billion and governance with N3.4 billion.

    Agriculture carried N2.3 billion, health N2.9 billion while roads construction and transportation carried N2.4 billion.

    From the bottom of the expenditure is poverty alleviation with N100 million, youth empowerment with N235.8 million, private sector N297 million, gender empowerment N350 million and airways with N500 million.

    The governor disclosed he has directed that a strategic framework for the implementation of his rescue agenda manifesto be developed between now and the end of February 2016, to serve as the basis for the annual budgets of the state from now to 2019.

    To remain focus on the implementation of the agenda, Ishaku said the framework will be linked with the state’s cash flow.

    He added that all the local councils affected by civil unrest in the past years will be given due consideration.

    “Though our current macroeconomic indices which serve as the benchmarks for our medium term projects for 2016 and beyond are not encouraging, we are facing the future with determination and faith to change our fortune as a state,” he said.

    The Deputy Speaker Muhammed Gwampo who presided as the Speaker pro tempo, said “the appropriation bill will be speedily deliberated upon and put into law in the soonest possible time, so that we shall not delay the governor in his agenda of rescuing Taraba state.”

  • APC women rise in support of Senator Alhassan

    APC women rise in support of Senator Alhassan

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) women have risen up in support of Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, the Governorship Candidate of the party during the March 28th, 2015 general elections in Taraba state.

    The senator lost the Taraba election to Darius Ishaku of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but won at the election petition tribunal in Abuja.

    However, Ishaku of PDP challenged the tribunal judgment that declared Alhassan winner at the appeal court.

    Already, the Appeal Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Abdul Aboky, has reserved judgment in the matter for a date yet to be announced.

    Briefing The Nation Wednesday, the leader of the women, Chief Mrs. Angela Akukalia, cautioned the appeal court judges to be mindful of the case involving the APC candidate Alhassan.

    The women said that the judiciary should remain the last hope of the down trodden, adding that it was obvious that the PDP candidate was not duly nominated by his party during its primaries.

    Akukalia, who is championing the cause of women, maintained that the judgment given to Alhassan of APC at the lower tribunal in Abuja should not be up turned, warning that judiciary should be careful in the matter.

    According to her, “judiciary has become a market place where any thing is possible, but it should not be in the case of Alhassan who has been the pillar of women in Nigeria politics”

    “Alhassan, has been the beacon of hope for the down trodden, the helpless, widows, the needy and the less privileged in the society for many years, the only thing that can please the women in the country is for her victory at the poll not to be touched by anybody”

    “The judiciary should help president Mohammadu Buhari to sanitize the society through burying corruption and the time to get it right is now through Alhassan’s appeal case or the women will go gaga,” Akukalia said.

     

  • Taraba: Appeal Court reserves judgment on Ishaku’s election

    Taraba: Appeal Court reserves judgment on Ishaku’s election

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba against the nullification of his electoral victory by a tribunal.

    Justice Abdul Aboki said the court would later announce the date for the judgment in the appeal.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the appeal by Ishaku followed the judgment of the Taraba Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Nov. 7 and awarded victory to Mrs Aisha Alhassan of APC.

    Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN), Counsel to Ishaku, raised four issues in the appeal.

    He said the petition was not accompanied by valid statements as the respondents claimed that it was the fault of the registry.

    Agabi said the respondents claimed that the election was marred with corruption yet claimed victory in the election.

    He said the respondents also pleaded that Ishaku was not sponsored by the party but later agreed that his sponsorship was not supported by any fact.

    He complained that 51 witnesses of the appellant were not reviewed by the tribunal and urged their lordships to allow the appeal.

    Mr Solo Akuma (SAN), Counsel to Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP and Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), Counsel to INEC urged the court to allow Ishaku’s appeal.

    However, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), Counsel to Alhassan, filed a cross appeal, saying INEC had no right to clear a candidate for election.

    He urged the court to dismiss Ishaku’s appeal and uphold the tribunal’s judgment.

     

  • I’m not disturbed by tribunal ruling – Ishaku

    I’m not disturbed by tribunal ruling – Ishaku

    Taraba State Governor, Dairus Ishaku whose election was voided last Saturday by the Taraba State election petition tribunal has said that he was not disturbed by the tribunal’s ruling.

    But the leadership of his party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) alleged connivance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government with security agencies to rob the PDP of victory in some states.

    The election tribunal had on Saturday voided Ishaku’s election and declared Hadjia Jumai Alhassan of the APC as the winner of the state’s April 11 governorship election.

    But Ishaku who spoke with journalists at the PDP Abuja secretariat on Tuesday, expressed the confident that the tribunal’s verdict would be upturned at the Court of Appeal.

    “I am not shaking; God is on His throne. I will defend the mandate the Taraba people gave to me. I have confidence in the judiciary but there is corruption in the judiciary. Just like in every profession, there are bad eggs.

    “There are good drivers and there are bad drivers. It is unfortunate that this driver (of the tribunal) was a bad driver. That judgement was an accidental discharge,” Ishaku said.

    According to him, it was wrong for the tribunal to base its ruling on a pre election matter while glossing over the main issues brought before it by his opponent.

    He described the judgement as a rude shock to the people of Taraba, and advised President Muhammadu Buhari ‎to start his anti-graft campaign from tribunal judges if he desired to win the war.

    The governor told the party leadership that normalcy has returned to Wukari area of the state where there were bloody clashes among supporters of the two political parties. He called on the political class to ensure the safety of lives of their supporters.

    ‎The Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who received the governor, said the party complied with every aspect of the Electoral Act and the PDP guidelines in submitting the names of the governor and his deputy to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Secondus also expressed shocked at the basis on which the tribunal nullified Ishaku’s election, saying the law would eventually take its cause.

    The party chair also accused the APC led Federal Government of using security agencies to write tribunal judgements.

    He said, “There is a grand plan to takeover PDP states. The tribunal judgement is a conspiracy. We believe in the judiciary, we believe that justice will be done; we believe that nobody will coerce the judiciary.

    “The president should know that there will be no development without peace. The president needs peace to drive his change. There is tension everywhere.

    “The government should engage the Southeast where people are protesting, in a discussion but not to coerce or arrest ‎them. There is crisis in the land. Government should dialogue with the people.”

     

  • Tribunal nullifies Taraba Speaker’s election 

    Tribunal nullifies Taraba Speaker’s election 

    The election of the Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker Abel Peter Diah was Wednesday nullified by the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Jalingo – the Taraba State capital.

    Speaker Diah is representing Mbamga constituency of Sadauna local government council in the State House of Assembly.

    The tribunal set aside the election, which was held on April 11, 2015 and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to set aside the Certificate of Return it issued the Speaker as winner of the poll.

    It ordered rerun in eight polling units in 90 days.

    The petitioner’s lead counsel, Festus Idepefo, submitted that the election was conducted in nine of the 48 polling units of Bamga constituency in “non compliance with the Electoral Act 2010” which states that an election must start with accreditation.

    The respondent filed a counter defense, challenging that the conduct of the election in six of the polling units that gave his opponent majority of the votes were not credible.

    The tribunal ruled that the APC candidate presented both oral and documentary evidences to support his allegation in eight of the nine polling units it claimed the election was characterised by irregularities.

    But, that Speaker presented only documentary evidences (without witnesses) to substantiate his claim, which did not to meet the burden of proof, as enshrined in the Electoral Act.

    Justice AM Ali, a member of the tribunal panel who read the judgment, thus, declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Emmanuel Bongo winner of the election.

    INEC had declared the Speaker winner with 8,272 votes and Bongo as runner up with 6,691 votes.

    But the tribunal upturned the results.

    According to the judgment, the APC candidate polled 6,695 votes while the PDP candidate (Speaker) scored only 5,651 votes.

    The APC candidate (Bongo) now leads with 1,044 votes.

    The tribunal, however, declared the election as “inconclusive.” It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a rerun in eight polling units of Mbamga constituency in 90 days, on grounds that the difference in votes between Bongo and Diah is not up to the number of voters defranchised in the affected areas.

    Taraba State Chairman of APC Jika Hassan Ardo hailed the ruling.

    “We shall continue to present evidences with facts and figures to show that APC is more popular in Taraba state. The people of Mbamga constituency should remain calm and wait patiently for the supplementary election,” Ardo said.

    It has been a huge setback for the PDP in Taraba state, having lost four of its major election cases. The PDP has lost the Central senatorial seat to the APC, and had its northern senatorial election nullified. The tribunal also nullified its House of Representatives election for Sardauna/Bali/Kurmi federal constituency and now the Speakers election in Mbanga, ordering the INEC to conduct rerun in 90 days.

     

  • Taraba Assembly clears 20 commissioner nominees

    Taraba Assembly clears 20 commissioner nominees

    The Taraba House of Assembly on Thursday cleared all the 20 commissioner nominees sent to it by Governor Darius Ishaku for confirmation.

    The Speaker of the house, Mr Abel Diah, who spoke shortly after the event, thanked members “for painstakingly going through the exercise.’’

    He said that the House was satisfied with the presentations made by the nominees and expressed hope that they would bring their wealth of experience to bear on the rescue mission in the state.

    Diah, who noted that the state needed more vibrant hands to move forward, expressed confidence in the ability of the commissioners to assist the governor to deliver on his campaign promises.

    The speaker noted that the nomination and confirmation of the 20 commissioners took into consideration the diversity of the state with a view to ensuring fair representation in the government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the list comprises 18 men and two women.

  • How Alhassan emerged Taraba APC flag bearer

    How Alhassan emerged Taraba APC flag bearer

     

    Fanen Ihyongo in Jalingo reports on the factors that led to Aisha Jummai Alhassan’s emergence as APC flag bearer in Taraba State.

    MANY believe a woman cannot be a state governor in Nigeria. But a female senator representing Northern Taraba, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, is on the verge of proving wrong this gender dogma. She has won an incredible poll, defeating four influential men, to clench the gubernatorial ticket of the most powerful and most consolidated opposition party in the country-the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It was an easy cruise for ‘powerful’ Alhassan, who polled a landslide 2, 425 votes of the total 2, 471 valid votes cast. The remaining 46 votes were shared among Mohammed Tumba Ibrahim, Yusufu Akirikwen and Julde Suleiman.

    Chairman of the electoral committee for the APC primaries in Taraba, Kola Shittu, described the election, which was held at the Jolly Nyame Sports Complex, as “free, fair and transparent.”

    The outcome of poll was not totally ridiculous. It was her hard work and philanthropy that paid. Mrs. Alhassan, a lawyer, is arguably the finest politician in Taraba State. She became senator on the platform of the PDP but she decamped to the opposition party to realise her ambition.

    Even in the PDP, then largely regarded as a political neophyte, Alhassan floored a serving senator, Anthony Manzo, to clinch the ruling party’s senatorial ticket. At the general election, she crushed former Governor Jolly Nyame who was fielded by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Alhassan, who may had foreseen today’s scenario, was prompt to join the league of senators who defected to the opposition when the PDP became polarised.

    Winning the APC ticket, she thanked delegates for the mandate given her. She extended the olive branch to her opponents who she described as gallant losers.

    The APC standard bearer called on her supporters and the entire people of the state to vote APC at the general elections in order to “erode PDP” from power.

    She accused the ruling party of failing the people and country. “PDP should not be allowed to continue in office in 2015,” she crusaded.

    She told newsmen: “The primary purpose of government is to take care of the people and protect their lives and property. But under PDP rein, the people are dying in poverty; their children cannot go to school and there is no infrastructural development to show.”

    Alhassan was the first female Commissioner of Justice and Attorney- General of the state, first female Registrar, Abuja FCT and first female senator in Taraba State before winning an incredible poll to become the first governorship candidate in the north-eastern geo-political zone.

    While she awaits the emergence of her opponent from the ruling party, Alhassan appears unstoppable. While the infighting in PDP continues, Alhassan has continued to nurture the broom party, which is effectively growing and consolidating its hold in Taraba State. She has often said she would be voted the first female governor in Nigeria.

  • Jalingo High Court suspends probe of former acting governor

    A High Court sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State, has ordered the state government to immediately halt its plan to probe the tenure of the immediate past Acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, pending the determination of the substantive suit brought before it on the issue. The ruling was sequel to an action brought before it by Umar against the Taraba State government’s recent decision to probe the administration of the former Acting Governor.

    The government had set up a 13-member Contracts and Policies Verification committee with Dr Phillip Duwe as chairman, for the purpose of probing the tenure of the former acting governor from its inception in October 2012 up to the time it left office last month.

    Following the setting up of the Committee, the former Acting Government went to court to seek an order restraining the committee from going ahead with the proposed probe pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    In a preliminary ruling on the matter, Justice F.B Andetur restrained the committee or security agents acting on its behalf or on behalf of its  chairman and secretary from inviting , summoning or compelling the former Acting Governor to appear before them or from carrying on with the terms of reference of the committee until the hearing and determination of the substantive application on the matter.

    Alhaji Umar became Acting Governor of Taraba State in October 2012 following a plane crash involving Governor Danbaba Suntai, the governor. He was in that position until November 21, 2014, when the Supreme Court invalidated the October 2012 impeachment of Suntai’s Deputy Alhaji Sanni Danladi, by the Taraba State House of Assembly, and ordered that he be sworn in as acting governor in place Umar.

  • Danjuma and Taraba power struggle

    Danjuma and Taraba power struggle

    Recent allegation that fomer Defence Minister, General T Y Danjuma, has anointed Hon. Darius Ishaku for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State has deepened the political intrigues in the state. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, takes a look at Danjuma’s roles in the Taraba political quagmire since 2013, when ailing Governor Danbaba first returned home

     

    Since some reports last month claimed that former Defence Minister, General T. Y. Danjuma has anointed the Chairman of Southern Taraba Stakeholders Forum (STSF), Hon. Darius Ishiaku, for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, the role of the elder statesman in the prolonged leadership crisis in the state has been in focus.

    As would be expected, the alleged endorsement has been the subject of strongly worded advertorials and verbal exchanges between the various stakeholders in Taraba; ahead 2015. For example, in an advertorial last month by Concerned Youths of Southern Taraba, entitled “Re: Open Letter to our Elder Statesman, General TY Danjuma- Rejoinder,” the group appealed to the people of Southern Taraba to be very alert of what they described as “any attempt to set us up against one another,” adding, “Our desire to produce the next governor of Taraba State has the support of all well-meaning Tarabans who believe that the spirit of live and let live is the only way forward in Taraba Project.”

    It would be recalled that shortly before the alleged position of the retired military leader and elder statesman in the ongoing agitation for power change in the state featured in the news, STSF had set up a committee which screened aspirants and reportedly recommended three: Senator Bwacha, Hon. Ishiaku and Retired Col. Agbu.

    That exercise itself generated so much controversy that insiders said it helped to further divide rather than cement the state PDP. For example, while some stakeholders alleged then that Danjuma and other respected elder statesmen and traditional leaders were behind the decision of the screening committee, others said the retired army general had nothing to do with the development.

    So, as recent reports directly alleged that Danjuma had singled out Ishiaku for the plum job in 2015, political temperature of the state expectedly rose very rapidly. As a result, the retired general, who is one of the most revered elder statesmen in the state, has also become a subject of public criticism.

    For example, during the week, a group in Taraba, known as DSK Project 2015, openly faulted Danjuma over the alleged endorsement of the Minister of State for Niger Delta, as consensus candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Southern Taraba.

    Director-General of DSK Project 2015, Senator Abdulaziz Ibrahim, made the position of his group known at a press conference in Jalingo. At the conference Ibrahim said Danjuma was “misinformed” by “Abuja-based politicians into endorsing Ishaku as against the earlier decision of the southern zone which chose Chief David Sabo Kente as its consensus candidate.”

    He said: “While we respect Gen. TY Danjuma as a national elder-statesman and distinguished military general of Taraba State extraction, we fear he allowed himself to be misdirected-through misinformation-by a group of politicians who are based in Abuja, who have no direct contact with the grassroots – our local populace in Taraba”.

    He alleged that Danjuma had earlier accepted the outcome of Southern Senate’s Committee on the aspirants but has now turned around to endorse another candidate.

    According to him, the Southern Senate Committee, headed by Chief D.S. Nyapuri, with support of Danjuma had prior to this time scrutinised the candidature of all 13 aspirants of Southern zone extraction and came up with the name of Kente.

    “We, the DSK Project 2015 group and I particularly, as the Director-General, distance ourselves from the attempt to divide southern zone in order to derail our objective of power shift. We abide by the decision of the first and authentic southern senate under Chief Nyapuri, which endorsed Chief David Sabo Kente as the consensus aspirant in PDP from the Southern Zone.”

    But reports from some people who described themselves as Danjuma’s loyalists said the elder statesman is still for the Minister of State of the Ministry of Niger Delta, notwithstanding the criticisms.

    Former Commissioner of Information in Taraba, Emmanuel Bello, was for example quoted in the news during the week as insisting that “the emergence of Ishaku had the blessing of all stakeholders from the Southern zone and that all other aspirants have thrown their weights behind him.”

    Danjuma’s and the Taraba governorship crisis

    Since the first return of ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai in 2013 and the leadership crisis that followed, Danjuma has remained one of the elders of the state the world looked upon to help resolve the impasse. Investigation confirms however that he has not failed in showing interest in resolving the thorny matter. What however seems to be a subject of controversy is the allegation from Suntai’s opponents that  the elder statesman may have taken sides in the political crisis.

    As far back as October 2013, exactly a year ago, Danjuma was first accused by some stakeholders of taking sides in favour of his political grandson, Governor Suntai, because he allegedly held secret political meeting with the governor’s wife, Hawwa, in their home.

    Ishmael Joshua, a resident in Jalingo, however countered allegation that the said meeting was a secret meeting. According to her, the news of the said meeting was broadcast in Jalingo and the general only said it was a private visit. “Are we saying  he has no right to visit the family of the ailing governor? I can’t see how that amounts to taking sides. Even if he does, how many of the critics can lay claims to knowing what is good for us more that TY,” she querried.

    Before the alleged secret visit, the return of Suntai, who is regarded as Danjuma’s political godson, had created ripples in the state’s political circles and split the loyalty of the leadership and members of the state House of Assembly between the governor and his deputy, Acting Governor Garba Umar.

    Although Danjuma described his visit to Suntai as “private” and declined to talk to journalists, it was reported that he threw his weight behind Suntai in the crisis that involved that State House of Assembly and pleaded that in the political impasse, the law should take its course, a position his critics said would favour Suntai.

    One year after,  with the alleged endorsement  adding up to heat up the Taraba polity, it seems Danjuma and other elder statesmen like him in the state have no option than to rise above criticism to douse the tension and prepare the state for peaceful elections ahead 2015.

    With the second return of Suntai last month, the tense political situation in Taraba is not only renewed, it has indeed peaked with the latest claims that Danjuma, just like what he did in 2013, may have resolved not to sit by and watch the worst happen to his state but to be part of the process that would help ensure a radical change in the state. Like before, that effort, according to Dr. Lawrence Sani, has been “deliberately misinterpreted by political bigots who are using this opportunity to heap up insults on the elder statesman. Knowing how courageous TY is, I do not see him feeling intimidated.”

    So far, the atmosphere, fired by the fuel of suspicion and wild allegations, is becoming hotter by the day.

    Commenting on the development, Acting Governor Garba Umah said, “We have once again stepped into a tense situation occasioned by the second return of His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Suntai, from treatment abroad. The insistence by a powerful bloc on the state that I hand over to my boss even against professional advice is at the centre of the current impasse.”

    Umar made the observation when he visited the national headquarters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week.

    He  emphasised the fact that the request was against professional advice that Suntai is not fit to govern for now, and told the members of the National Working Committee of the party that a panel raised by the State House of Assembly would determine if the governor was fit to rule or not.

    According to him, “The state of affairs in our state has generally been stable since the intervention as His Excellency Governor Suntai continues to receive medical care within and outside the country. As can be clearly seen over this period, the medical condition of Governor Suntai is improving. And we are waiting for the doctors to certify him to be fit to resume his duties.

    “This has forced the State Executive Council to request the State House of Assembly to set up a medical panel to verify the state of health of our beloved governor. I’ve heard people say the motive behind the setting up of the panel is to remove the governor. This is not true. It is merely intended to determine if I can hand over to him or not.”

    Observers said it is a repeat of the 2013 scenerio, a confirmation that in the strange power game in Taraba, the state has gone a full circle.

    Where all these intrigues will leave the state remains to be seen as the 2015 general elections draw nearer.

  • The ‘Suntai video’

    The ‘Suntai video’

    Those behind the ‘video’ have succeeded in reviving the issue

    Any discerning person would have known that the purported video that made the round last week showing Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State as having acknowledged that he cannot take over the affairs of state yet, must have known that it was a phantom video. It is not that those managing the governor could not have done such, but at least not again. What is involved is more than bread and butter, and this calls for more caution after initial failed attempts to properly position their principal.

    Appearing in a video recording which was posted on YouTube, Suntai, who was surrounded by some of his aides was, in the purported interview which lasted two minutes and 20 seconds so incoherent in his response to the questions posed to him. For instance, when asked whether he was fit enough to resume his job as   governor of the state, Suntai in a shaking and low tone replied, “I can tell you that it is well with me to return to my office simply because I want you to support me. You know the truth; I am not well at all to return to office as I am now”, etc.

    I guess those behind the video knew that their antics might be detected after all, but what they have succeeded in doing is to revive the Suntai matter and bring it back to our consciousness. They know that Nigerians have short memories and that we often move on after making storm of some issues. So, if the aim of those behind the video was to remind us about the ailing governor, whatever the motive, they succeeded. At least, we now remember that there is one governor who was touted as being able to function when he is probably still nowhere near being well for that office.

    It is really unfortunate that Nigerian politicians don’t learn. After the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua experience, one would have thought we would never again be treated to shenanigans, especially when public officials fall sick, for whatever reason. In Yar’Adua’s case, all kinds of tricks were played by those who were profiting from his sickness. They concocted all sorts of lies; used all forms of tricks until God himself brought the entire nonsense to a denouement.

    More than three years after Yar’Adua’s death, we are back to square one with the sickness of Governor Suntai. Suntai who was involved in an air mishap in October 2012 spent about 10 months in hospitals in Germany and United States of America, where he was treated for the injuries he sustained from the crash.

    After much pressure from home, he was flown back to Nigeria in August 2013, with the intent of assuming the governance of the state. However, his state of fitness soon became a contentious issue. And this became clear, with all kinds of interest groups resorting to the same old tricks to sustain their personal interests at the expense of the state.

    When Governor Suntai returned into the country last August, one of his associates said he was mentally alert, contrary to speculations that he had lost his memory. The proof for this, according to the associate, is that the governor recognised everyone by name. So, that was all that was required to proof that the governor was not an invalid! The same governor who was said to be ready to take over then could not even talk on arrival at the airport. Anyone with eyes knew that the picture of the returning governor in the media then was not that of someone who was ready to take over anytime soon.

    Before now, we had been shown Governor Suntai when he reportedly went fishing. I had cause to ask if such a ridiculous show was necessary because, rather than enhance the governor’s case, it worsened it. The picture we saw was like a caricature; even a robot would have fared better. The question on the lips of many people then was: must people go to this extent to be in power?

    As I have always said, if only Nigeria’s politicians could devote 30 per cent of the time they spend pursuing power to purposeful governance, this country would be a far better place. But what we have are people who want power for the sake of it; and when handed the power, they keep abusing it because they don’t know what else to do with it for the general good.

    The question we need to be asking ourselves now is: for how long can an elected official – governor, president or whatever be out of office on health ground? That is a fundamental question that the constitutional amendment must answer. This is necessary not because one is callous but more due to the fact that in situations like this, it is actually not the person that is sick that is benefiting; it is the hangers-on who do not want the honeymoon to end. At a point, Alhaji Yar’Adua could not even recognise anything, yet, some people benefiting from his illness said he was performing official functions; some even argued that he could do that even from the moon.

    Those who say Governor Suntai is responding to treatment (he has been doing that even before he returned from abroad in August) should bring him out again and let Nigerians see his state of health. If Governor Suntai was too weak and tired to talk on arrival in August due to the stress of his journey, what is he weak and tired of now? As governor, Suntai is no longer his private self; he is now a public figure and we need to be updated on his state of health periodically if he must remain governor in Taraba.