As the gladiators in Taraba lock horns in a battle of supremacy, Senior Correspondent, ISHAYA IBRAHIM, examines the impact of the crisis on the state’s politics.
Taraba State is still being held hostage by its political class, despite recent efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) to broker peace among the warring factions.
The gladiators are supporters of the ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai, who was involved in helicopter crash in 2012 and has been convalescing since then, and allies of the Acting Governor, Garba Umar.
The endgame of the battle is who clinches the PDP ticket in the state ahead of the 2015 governorship run.
Former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Danjuma, is alleged to be the puppeteer pushing for the return of Suntai to the governorship seat, irrespective of his health, a move calculated at shutting off the acting governor from getting hold of power.
The fear is that if Umar is allowed to assume ultimate power in the state, he could position himself as the PDP’s governorship flag-bearer ahead of the 2015 governorship election.
Other forces in Taraba bent on stopping Umar include Supervising Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Darius Ishaku; former Governor Jolly Nyame and other local politicians in the state.
Religion has also come handy in this game. Taraba is a state with a good number of Christians, while Muslims are in the minority. Given Nigeria’s politics where religion plays crucial role, the political elite have exploited the sentiment to put their cronies in power.
Umar, the first civilian Muslim to rise to the position of acting governor, is believed to be facing sniper shots from politicians who favour the state being governed by a Christian.
A columnist for the Leadership Newspaper, Chris Umeh, took a swipe at these politicians.
“These religious/ethnic champions and political desperadoes have shown that they are hell-bent on destroying the peace and harmony that have existed between the Muslim and Christian faithful in Taraba State among all the ethnic groups that make up the vast state.
“They have been canvassing the argument that Taraba is a Christian state, and should not be governed by a Muslim, and that the acting governor is from the minority tribe in the state, and several other similar baseless and malicious allegations and insinuations against the acting governor, all in an effort to heat up the political environment in the state and make him uncomfortable in the course of his service of the good people of Taraba and Nigerians in the state. They have also, by their despicable actions and utterances, shown that they do not love the state,” he wrote.
Umar also has his supporters. He is enjoying the support of the state PDP and House of Assembly members.
In fact, Napoleon Adamu, the state PDP Publicity Secretary, has said the position of the PDP in Taraba has always been that Umar should continue as acting governor, while Suntai continues his treatment until he regains full health.
Perhaps, in line with the sentiment in the party, the House of Assembly recently constituted a panel of five medical experts to determine whether the governor is incapacitated or fit to govern. The committee, headed by Professor Bala Shehu, has the personal physician to Governor Suntai, Dr. Ahmad Kara; Professor Peter Alabi, Dr. Shehu Sule and Dr. Yunusa Samaila as members. The game plan was to have Suntai ousted, sources told TheNiche, last week.
Section 189 (Subsection 1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution provides that “The governor or deputy governor of a state shall cease to hold office if (a) by a resolution passed by two-third majority of all members of the executive council of the state, it is declared that the governor or deputy governor is incapable of discharging the functions of the office, and (ii) the declaration in paragraph (a) of the subsection is verified after such medical examination as may be necessary by a medical panel established under subsection 4 of this section in its report to the Speaker of the House of Assembly”.
A High Court sitting in Jalingo, the state capital, has already ordered the medical panel to suspend its activities.
Justice Silas Haruna issued the order on the grounds that a case relating to the governor’s ability to remain in office is already before the Supreme Court.
As if to postpone the evil day, the court’s action has sustained the suspense, while the Taraba people look on.