IT is not surprising that efforts are being orchestrated by a section of the political elite in Taraba State, led by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, to drag the acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar into unnecessary controversy. With the 2015 elections at the corner, those who are interested and eager to run for the office of governor of the state and who suspect that the acting governor may also be throwing his hat into the ring have become increasingly uncomfortable and desperate. The strategy is to throw as much mud as possible at the person of the acting governor and to diminish his rising political profile in order to gain unfair advantage in the race for which he has neither declared nor indicated interest.
One of the issues being played up as part of this unhealthy political game is the serial crises in Southern Taraba, particularly, Wukari. Those who are determined to give the acting governor the bad name that he certainly does not deserve are out proclaiming that he is behind the crises. No falsehood can be more callous than this. To create the kind of political situation that they desperately require to achieve their purpose, they are even asking that a state of emergency be declared in the state. And for Senator Bwacha who has been a regular face in the corridors of power in the state and benefitted immensely from the generosity of the present and past administrations as well as the goodwill of the people of the state to accept to play the unpatriotic role as arrowhead of this campaign of denigration is shocking.
At this point, it is necessary for me to say for the avoidance of doubt and misunderstanding of the purpose of this article, that I’m not an indigene of Taraba State. I have only lived in the state for many years and followed the socio- political trends in the state very closely. Over time, I have become emotionally attached to the state and I frequently get bothered when things are going wrong. It is for this reason that I am compelled to draw public attention through this medium to some of the unhealthy developments in the state which I believe are capable of dragging down the state into the abyss of underdevelopment.
I’m particularly worried at the desperate effort being made to demonise the acting governor, a man who had, at very critical times in the political life of the state, had been a stabilizing factor. His present role is one of such special opportunities to play a leading role in restoring stability negatively jolted by the sudden departure of the governor for medical attention abroad following injuries he sustained in a plane crash. I believe the campaign which, unfortunately, carries the stamp of Senator Bwacha’s endorsement, is baseless, unfair and unnecessary.
It is obvious that the Senator wants to be governor. He has not hidden his desire for that office which is now boiling over and turning into a consuming passion. It is a legitimate aspiration, no doubt. He, as well as any other indigene of the state, has a right to aspire to the position of governor or any other position for that matter. What he has no right to do and should not do, however, is to seek to blackmail those he suspects, rightly or wrongly, to be interested in the same office on account of their advantage of political visibility and unassailable record of achievement in the position that God had given them in the past.
The campaign against Umar is particularly unfair and distasteful. Umar has been unfairly put on the spot and in the eye of the storm since Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in a plane crash in which he suffered serious injuries and had to spend quite some time in hospitals abroad. That unfortunate incident brought Umar, a quiet, amiable and unassuming personality, into the driving seat in an acting capacity. The decision that Umar stepped into the shoes of the governor in an acting capacity as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has not gone down well with those who think illegality – which means using a proxy to run the administration rather than the deputy governor – would have been a better option. He is seen and treated as a stranger in government and every official action he takes is misunderstood and misinterpreted.
A few days ago, Senator Bwacha, through an open letter published in some Nigerian dailies, made sweeping allegations against the person of Umar. In that letter, he made no pretensions that his motive was to thoroughly paint Umar in the most unsavoury colours just to make him objectionable and un-electable in the 2015 race for the office of governor, in case he decides to contest. And in doing so, Bwacha desperately sought to play the ethnic and religious cards in order to win sympathy and support for his war of attrition. This cruel game of political name-calling cannot help Taraba State. What will help the state is unity of purpose. Ethnic and religious sentiments have proved over the years and in many countries to be extremely destructive. The Rwandan experience which is about the worst globally in recent times should serve as a warning to those still seeking to ride to power on the wings of ethnic or religious sentiments.
Acting Governor Umar, and this is the view of most of the ordinary people of Taraba State, has done his best in the circumstances that he has found himself. The political atmosphere is very volatile and this is adversely affecting everything in the state including the machinery of governance. Those who do not want to see Umar as the face of the government of Taraba State are unrelenting in their campaign to stifle the machinery of government. And they are the ones who also shout the loudest that the state is stagnating, that it is not getting adequate touch of development through the provision of modern amenities. What a contradiction!
The real grouse of the leaders of the “put down” campaign project launched against Umar is that Suntai did not return to office on his return from abroad, even as unfit as he was. But this was not the decision of the acting governor. It was obvious that Suntai was still incapacitated. That position was backed by the report of foreign medical experts. Since the wish that he returned to his seat did not prevail, nothing else is good enough and whatever else is in place must be destroyed. This attitude is outrageous and unhelpful to the interests of the state.
It is true that unity is gradually being eroded in the state. People who before now lived as one, united by their affection for the state and all that it stands for, are being consciously or unconsciously encouraged to think and believe that they are no longer bound by the same common bond of unity. It is largely the handiwork of the political elite in the state which include people like Senator Bwacha. And the earlier the elite group realises that this game of deliberate disinformation is a destroyer the better for the good people of Taraba State.
I also believe that Senator Bwacha and his group have not been fair to Umar in their reading of the latter’s attitude to the governor’s unfortunate state of ill-health and the manner in which he has handled the affairs of the state since the governor took ill. My understanding which is based on very reliable information of some friends on both sides of the political divide in the state point to the fact that Suntai’s family has not been denied anything that is necessary to make them comfortable. All their entitlement are settled promptly while most of the key people working with the acting governor are members of Sunta’s political family even though they have remained unwavering in their attitude of deliberate belligerence toward the man who is running the government of state today.
As earlier stated in this article, Suntai’s plane accident is unfortunate. It was an act of God and he has the sympathy of the entire people of the state. We all wish him well and pray that he gets well quickly to be able to return to his seat as governor. Umar has always wished him well and had ensured that he used every opportunity to speak at public forums to pray for the governor and to wish him speedy recovery. He has also left nobody in doubt, through his utterances and actions, that he is just filling a gap temporarily created by the governor’s accident and injury. This attitude is very well known and appreciated by the good people of Taraba State except in the political camp of Senator Bwacha.
These, certainly, are difficult times for the people of Taraba State, a time when some people are out on a deliberate mission of mischief. The sooner leaders in the state realise that people are being misled, the better for the state. Deliberate efforts should be made to change direction and navigate in right direction, that is, in search of peace and cooperation. Bwacha should reach out to the acting governor to discuss the best way forward for the state. No leader can succeed if the followership is split into several pockets opposition camps. The government must enjoy a reasonable level of support and cooperation of the people. Bwacha should be bold enough to reverse himself and play the role of a support pillar for the government which Umar is merely tending to on behalf of Suntai. I join Umar, Bwacha and all the good people of Taraba State in wishing Governor Suntai quick recovery and in praying for peace and understanding to reign in Taraba State.
• Aboki wrote from Jalingo. Taraba State
