The Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, has said Alhaji Garba Umar remains the Acting Governor of the state until ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai addresses the assembly.
Tsokwa, who addressed a press conference in Jalingo, the state capital, on Tuesday, said that the House was thankful to God that Suntai has returned to the state.
He said that the leadership of the House was not allowed access to the governor since he returned on August 24 and he had not been seen in public.
The speaker expressed worry that “a cabal” was working relentlessly to cause confusion in the state in order to hijack the state politically.
Tsokwa described the group orchestrating and replicating the late President Umaru Yar’Adua saga as “desperate and selfish politicians” that have no interest of Taraba State at heart.
He said: “As elected representatives of our people, we will be failing in our duty to the electorate and to God Almighty if we allow this development to continue.
“Our request is very simple.
“We want our dear governor to resist the temptation of those who want to use him to achieve their selfish interest and come out and address the people of dear state through their elected representatives.
“If on the other hand the governor is not fit to address the people, then it means that the governor is not fit to run the affairs of the state and the House will have no hesitation in granting him leave to go back for further treatment.
“In making this request, we have no other motive than love of our dear state as well as the well-being of our dear governor and the happiness of family.
“We are firm that Taraba belongs to all, irrespective of their rigorous affiliation and therefore call on our people to demonstrate for the state and live in peace with one another.”
Meanwhile, Ahmed Umar, a Jalingo-based legal practitioner, has called for caution in handling issues relating to the return of Suntai.
Umar told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jalingo on Tuesday that the matter should be handled carefully and in a matured manner in order not to throw the state into confusion.
Umar however expressed serious concern over the letter purportedly transmitted by Suntai to the state House of Assembly.
He said: “Section 190 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended states that ‘whenever the governor is proceeding on vacation or is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House of Assembly to that effect’.
“However, in the case of Suntai, he has proceeded without fulfilling the requirements of this provision because of the circumstances under which he was moved, due to the accident he had.
“That was, however, covered after the expiration of 21 days as provided for by Section 190 (2) of the Constitution when his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar, was made to take over his functions in an acting capacity.
“So, under normal circumstances, the transmission of a letter to the assembly would have been sufficient.
“However, Suntai has not uttered a word to the media and the people of Taraba in the past 10 months.
“Therefore, it is very doubtful if the said letter really originated from the ailing governor.”
The lawyer said allegations in both local and international media that Suntai was brain-damaged had therefore not been effectively dispelled.
He added: “The way Suntai was supported when he arrived, coupled with the fact that he could not address even his closest associates, leaves some doubts about his capability to run the activities of the state.”
Referring to the provisions of Section 190 (1), Umar argued that Suntai had not yet proved that he was able to discharge the functions of his office.
He urged the Taraba State House of Assembly’s members to, as the people’s elected representatives, “save the soul of the state” by allowing the Deputy Governor to continue acting as governor.
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