Rumble in Taraba politics

Victor Bala Kona appears to be walking a tight political rope as the current chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State. He was said to have been singlehandedly handpicked by Governor Danbaba Suntai to assume that position even though the congress that brought him on board was declared by the Independent National […]

Victor Bala Kona appears to be walking a tight political rope as the current chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State. He was said to have been singlehandedly handpicked by Governor Danbaba Suntai to assume that position even though the congress that brought him on board was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as ‘flawed.’ 
With Danbaba away on an ‘endless’ medical vacation and his deputy, Umar Garba, holding forth in acting capacity, Kona is now facing the predicament of where to invest his political loyalty as chairman of the ruling party in the north-east state.
Kona, when asked to comment on the political developments in the state, told Weekly Trust in Jalingo that “I am afraid I cannot grant you an interview now but within the next two weeks when the political coast is clear in Taraba State, I will be willing and ready to grant one.”
The PDP chieftain is not alone in the current ‘safe playing’ game among the political class in Taraba state where the continued absence of Governor Suntai is creating uncertainty and crisis of confidence but also widening the loyalty gulf between he (Suntai) and his deputy, Umar Garba, who has been acting for the past nine months.
At the centre of the growing political brouhaha in Taraba state is the ‘conspiracy of silence’ over Governor Danbaba Suntai’s health, even as several factors are emerging as determinants of the future political fate of the state, especially with the march towards the 2015 general elections.
Suntai’s date with destiny
Suntai had a date with destiny when he became governor in 2007 even without aspiring for the coveted office. He was sworn in on 29 May 2011 for a second term upon winning the governorship election for the year. A trained Pharmacist, Suntai enrolled for training as a pilot at the Nigerian College of Aviation in Zaria in 2010 and was licensed after the completion of his course. Although he had had several successful flights with his private aircrafts, fate struck on October 25, 2012 when the jet he was flying from Jalingo to Yola crashed before reaching the airport.
After receiving initial treatment at the Adamawa Standard German Hospital in Yola and the National Hospital Abuja he was flown to Germany, and later to the United States where he is still undergoing treatment.
Consequently, Taraba state has been without a full-fledged governor for the past nine months, a situation that has been likened to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s scenario in 2009. Suntai’s deputy, Garba Umar was later sworn-in as acting governor in May this year and since then there have been calls for his elevation to the status of a substantive governor.
The situation in Taraba, many say, is adversely slowing the pace of development, with pro-Suntai loyalists against those perceived to be opposed to the status quo ante. While loyalists of the ailing governor keep assuring the agitated people that all is well with Suntai and that he would soon be back to his duty post, critics continue to press for the application of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ through section 189(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended in 2010. The section states: “The governor or deputy governor of a state shall cease to hold office if by resolution passed by two/thirds majority of members of the executive council of the state it is declared that the governor or deputy governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office.”     
Chief Medical director of the Taraba State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Aliyu Zakari first stirred the hornet’s nest when he declared in an interview that Suntai’s condition was getting worse in the German Hospital and advised on the urgent need for his transfer to the John Hopkin’s Hospital in the United States. Zakari’s comments drew the ire of the state House of Assembly which set up a panel to ascertain the motive behind them. He was later sacked in hazy circumstances.   
Worried by the continued absence of the governor, the PDP national secretariat set up a fact finding committee headed by Senator Hope Uzodinma to meet with the relevant stakeholders with the view to ascertaining the situation in Taraba, a development that did not go down well with some individuals who went to court to stop the committee. Although the team reportedly visited the ailing governor in USA where they expressed satisfaction with his health condition, many critics from Taraba seem unimpressed with their verdict.
Several individuals and groups have raised their voices and even staged protests over the silence over Suntai’s absence. A former deputy governor of the state Saleh Danboyi and Barrister Bello Mustapha, a CPC governorship aspirant during the last elections, have separately instituted legal actions seeking the invocation of the constitutional provision to empower the acting governor to assume substantive status.
Danjuma Isa Munga, pioneer chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive (CPC) in Taraba state and now a chieftain of the PDP, refuses to toe the line of his fellow party members who are playing safe over Suntai’s health. Munga alleged that “Taraba is being hijacked by a cabal that wants the old order to be maintained and this people are trying to intimidate the acting governor. I feel Garba should be sworn in without further delay because the governor is sick and since he cannot come back to assume duties, the executive should urgently write the State Assembly to empanel qualified doctors to do the right thing.”  
A former Speaker of Taraba State Assembly, Habu Isa Ajia, is also agitating for the Constitutional provision to be applied in resolving the current political situation in Taraba state.
“Governor Suntai was voted by people of Taraba State. Therefore his health status should not be a matter of hide and seek; the people deserve to know the true state of their governor. It is therefore incumbent on the state executive council to rise above board to do what the constitution requires of them,” he said.
But the state Information Commissioner, Emmanuel Bello, who had consistently defended the health status of the ailing governor, maintained that Suntai had had a steady recovery and would soon bounce back in Jalingo to assume duties. Bello also said concerns raised over the governor’s absence were baseless as government was still running even in his absence.
“Peace and security is a critical index of good governance and Taraba state is one of the most peaceful in the country. This was made possible because we have in place an acting governor that is exercising all the powers of governor to carry out his duties creditably well,” Bello said.
Bello, however, would not comment on why the executive arm of government was yet to constitute a medical panel as constitutionally required to ascertain the health status of Suntai. Barrister Timothy Katabs, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, also declined to speak on this aspect saying that since several legal actions were pending in court over the matter it would amount to subjudice for him to speak.
2015 and the power game
Beyond the controversy over Suntai’s health is the projection towards the 2015 general elections. Taraba is certainly one of the states in the country where the battle for 2015 promises to be a titanic one. As actors continue to make permutations and await the return of the governor, the political temperature of the state is charged and polarized along ethno-religious and sectional divides.
Religious sentiment is gaining momentum by the day. The religious divide has also found expression in the churches and mosques across the state where adherents of both religions are being persuaded to make their choices based on articles of their faith rather than on leadership qualities. 
The rousing reception accorded to the acting governor in Jalingo after returning from the US to see his ailing boss sometime ago was seen as a political statement. After that visit also, Umar was reported to have expressed fears over Suntai’s health condition, a report he subsequently denied.
The acting governor’s recent distribution of brand new 18-seater buses to all the LGAs in the state is also perceived by political observers as aimed at laying structures at the grassroots for his 2015 governorship ambition.
Umar’s appointment of a new chief of Mambilla whose coronation has been scheduled for August 24 has also been interpreted as a political strategy aimed at winning the sympathy of the people of the area who had remained without a ruler for years.
The recent sacking by the acting governor of the five commissioners implicated in a committee report of the Taraba State House of Assembly over misappropriation of N400m FG grant meant for flood victims in the state has also been interpreted to have political and religious coloration. This is in addition to the impeachment of the former leadership of the state Assembly led by Istifanus Gbana which was believed to have an ‘unrepentant’ allegiance to Suntai.
Umar’s recent appointment into some key government positions, including those of Ahmed Yusuf (a former commissioner and governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in the last general elections) as his chief of staff and Garvey Yawe as the new Secretary to the State Government, also generated mixed reactions.
But Information commissioner, Emmanuel Bello, said the acting governor had consistently maintained his loyalty to his boss. “I want to believe that he is telling the truth; he is very loyal to his boss, he hardly says a word or two without pledging allegiance to his boss”, Bello said.
The power shift question
As the titanic battle for the soul of Taraba rages on along the pro-Suntai, pro-Umar divide, there is also the question of power shift which is being canvassed by the people of the southern zone of the state. Governor Suntai was said to have promised the people of the zone who have not tasted the governorship seat since the state’s creation that he would hand over to a successor from the area after his tenure.
Already there is a roll call of aspirants from the zone. Among these are the senator currently representing the area, Emmanuel Bwacha, who prides himself as Suntai’s anointed successor. There is also David Sabo Kente, founder of the DSK (David Sabo Kente Foundation), and former senator from the zone, Joel Danlami Ikenya, who sought unsuccessfully to run the last governorship race in the state on the ticket of the ACN.
To achieve their aim for power shift, people of Taraba south have reportedly expressed their readiness to dump the PDP in the event they are denied the opportunity to produce the next governor in 2015. Recently, a seminar was organized for youth of the zone for the purpose of sensitizing them on the need to bury their differences and close ranks towards actualizing their ambition. Weekly Trust also gathered that a southern Taraba summit is being proposed before the end of this year.
Speaker of the state Assembly is in support of power shift to the southern zone but believes this can only be realized if the people are united.
Anxiety over Suntai’s return
Although several failed promises by government officials in the past concerning Suntai’s return, sources close to the ailing governor told Weekly Trust about high level plans over his return, as the pro-Suntai ‘cabal’ in government are worried about their fate following Umar’s recent political moves and have concluded arrangements to bring him back to the state to maintain the status quo.
A source told Weekly Trust that Suntai may be flown in before the State Assembly proceed on its next recess commencing August ending so he could quickly transmit a letter to the House notifying them of his return. His return is also being quickened to further prevent his deputy, Umar from dismantling his political structures to put his in place ahead of 2015, said the source who sought identity protection.
Meanwhile, several questions continue to agitate the minds of Tarabians over Suntai’s absence. What is Suntai’s true health status? How well is he responding to treatment and for how long will he be away from his duty post? When he eventually returns, will he be physically and emotionally fit to carry on with the duties of a governor? Only time will tell.