ONE WITH GOD IS MAJORITY The judgment of the Supreme Court reinstating Sani Danladi Abubakar as deputy governor is giving Governor Danbaba Suntai’s men opportunity to stage a comeback, as ousted acting governor Garba Umar also prepares for the guber primary. The Supreme Court’s judgment which sacked acting governor Garba Umar from office and ordered the reinstatement of impeached deputy governor, Sani Danladi Abubakar, has brought new permutations in Taraba politics. Umar’s removal from office came as a surprise to many of his supporters and enthusiasts. The reinstatement of the impeached deputy governor is believed to have been perfected by Suntai’s camp also known as ‘cabal’ to ensure they consolidate their hold on power ahead of the 2015 elections. Many attempts had been made in the past by Suntai’s men to get power back from Umar but failed. But the recent Supreme Court judgment has opened a vista of hope for Suntai’s men especially in their quest to get power transferred to the southern zone of the state. Events that played out since the decision of the Supreme Court which reinstated the impeached deputy governor has shown that Suntai’s men are behind the power play. First indication that Suntai’s men were in charge was seen in the calibre of people that accompanied the reinstated deputy governor from Abuja to the Jalingo airport. A total of five chartered aircraft ferried the ‘who is who’ in Suntai’s camp to Jalingo to witness the arrival of their new ‘bride’ who had facilitated their comeback to power. Amongst dignitaries that accompanied Danladi from Abuja were Architect Darius Ishaku (a PDP gubernatorial aspirant), House of Reps Chief Whip, Isiaka Bawa, former commissioner for Water Resources, Rebo Usman, former SSG Ambassador Emmanuel Njiwah, former commissioner for justice, Timothy Gibon Kataps and former commissioner for information, Emmanuel Bello. Other personalities that were at the airport to receive Danladi include former Governor Jolly Nyame, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, deputy speaker of Taraba House of Assembly, Tanko Maikarfi, the G-8 lawmakers loyal to governor Suntai, aides and political associates of Governor Suntai and Danladi. Elder statesman, General TY Danjuma is said to have footed the bills for the chartered aircraft that conveyed the dignitaries and had reportedly played significant role in the build up to the reinstatement of the impeached deputy governor. More so, the reinstated deputy governor upon arrival at the Government House in Jalingo on Friday did not mince words in declaring his ‘unalloyed loyalty’ to Governor Danbaba Suntai and by extension his men. “At this juncture, I wish to pledge my unalloyed loyalty to my principal and leader, Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai and this I will demonstrate not only in words but in actions in the days ahead.” “Through your prayers, our governor is recuperating satisfactorily. I reported to him today to inform him of my resumption of duty as the deputy governor of Taraba State in line with the Supreme Court judgment,” Danladi said in an address upon resumption. And true to his word, Danladi had so far shown in his actions that he is playing the script of Suntai and his men. Upon assumption of office, Danladi declared as null and void all appointments made by the ousted acting governor Garba Umar and ordered all the affected appointees to hand over government property within 24 hours. He has since appointed Suntai’s men as Secretary to Taraba State Government and Chief of Staff, Government House Administration. The new SSG, Barrister Timothy Kataps and Chief of Staff, Aminu Jika, are the same set of people Suntai had purportedly appointed following his return from his medical trip abroad last year. Many members of Suntai’s cabinet who were sacked by ousted Governor Umar are expected to form part of the cabinet to be formed by the newly reinstated deputy governor in the days ahead. With this development, Suntai’s camp seems to be confident of getting things work in their favour ahead of 2015. Political pundits said part of the deal the Suntai’s camp reportedly sealed with Danladi is that Ishaku will pick him (Danladi) as his running mate in the forthcoming elections. But political observers are saying that the Suntai’s camp must be watchful of this new arrangement as the reinstated deputy governor who now has the power of incumbency could in the long run consider running for the number one position. Although PDP has closed the sale of its forms, analysts believe that Danladi could still seek to contest on the platform of other political parties that are yet to close the sale of forms if he so wishes. Umar’s political ambition on the other hand seems to have been weakened, having lost hold of government machinery at the time the primaries are coming. Those loyal to Umar hitherto have started switching their loyalty as analysts believe this could make things difficult for him in the gubernatorial race.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:13:36 +0000