Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa has told Governor Danbaba Suntai to return to the United States for further treatment in the hospital.
Tsokwa spoke to newsmen in Jalingo, the state capital, yesterday, about 12 hours after some members of the House met with the ailing governor at Government House.
Tsokwa said members of the House had decided to ask the governor to return to the United States to continue his rehabilitation programme and only come back to run his office when he was fully fit.
Tsokwa stated that the decision of the members followed their visit to Suntai last Wednesday night, and affirmed that the lawmakers were convinced that Suntai was unfit to return to office.
The House, therefore, voted for the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar, to continue in office.
In a statement signed by 16 out the 24 members of the House of Assembly, the legislators said the decision was taken in the interest of the state.
“The leadership of the Assembly made several efforts to see the governor since his arrival, but till Wednesday, they were not allowed access to him.
“The ailing governor spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his letter purportedly transmitted to the Speaker.
“In view of the above, we, the undersigned members of the state Assembly unanimously resolved at our meeting that the deputy governor, upon whom power was earlier transmitted to by the state Assembly, still remains the acting governor of Taraba.
“He will continue to act in that regard until such a time the governor is capable of administering the state,” the statement said.
Our correspondent reports that the lawmakers, who signed the statement include the Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa, Deputy Speaker, Tanko Maikarfi, Chief Whip, Mohammed Gwampo and Deputy Majority Leader, Josiah Kente.
Others are Deputy Chief Whip, Mohammed Umar, the Minority Leader, Ibrahim Imam and the Minority Whip, Yahya AbdulRahman.
Also in the list are Mr Iratsi Daki, Rashida Abdullahi, Aminu Umar, Emmanuel Dame, John Bonzena, Dr Abubakar Jugulde, Hamman Adamu Abdullahi, Abdulkarim Mohammed and Edward Baraya.
It would be recalled that Suntai was flown out of the country for urgent medical treatment following injuries sustained in a plane crash in October 2012.
Suntai, who returned to Jalingo on August 24, wrote to the House of Assembly informing the lawmakers of his return and readiness to resume office.
The Assembly, however, asked Suntai to appear before it to enable it decide on his request.
Instead of accepting the invitation, Suntai dissolved the state executive council, and appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and new Chief of Staff, Government House.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Silvanus Giwa, announced the dissolution at a news conference last Wednesday.
Giwa, who claimed he spoke on the orders of Suntai, named the outgoing Commissioner for Justice, Mr Timothy Kataps, as the new SSG and Alhaji Aminu Jika as Chief of Staff.
On Wednesday evening, Suntai appeared on state TV and spoke briefly in a recorded video.
On Tuesday, he sacked the State Executive Council and approved the appointment of two principal officers, the Secretary to the State Government and the Chief of Staff.
On Wednesday, he was shown on TV witnessing the swearing in of the SSG and the Chief of Staff.
Since returning from the US last Sunday, Suntai has not given the residents of the state cause to believe that he has fully recovered.
In fact, his return in the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua style, was as dramatic as it was controversial.
He was shielded from the people and acted only on instructions while looking and acting confused.
His handlers, including former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, had lied to Nigerians by insisting that he had shown he was strong enough to govern the state.