Taraba Crisis Update: Gov. Suntai Makes Appointments for the New Cabinet

Taraba Crisis Update: Gov. Suntai Makes Appointments for the New CabinetThe Taraba State Government has confirmed that Governor Danbaba Suntai has dissolved the state executive council and appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and a new Chief of Staff, Government House.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Silvanus Giwa, announced the dissolution and named the new appointments at the press conference on August 28, 2013, Wednesday in Jalingo. Therefore, previous reports are confirmed.

The Governor’s aide informed that the outgoing Commissioner for Justice, Timothy Kataps, would become the news SSG and Aminu Jika – the new Chief of Staff. He also added that the appointments were with immediate effect.

Mr. Giwa, who said that he was speaking on the orders of Mr. Suntai, said all Commissioners and Special Advisers had been relieved of their appointments. He passed the governor’s message of appreciation to the outgoing Commissioners and Special Advisers for their services to the state, and wished them well in their future endeavours.

The above mentioned statement contradicts the position of the state’s lawmakers. The State House of Assembly had on Tuesday, announced that the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, would continue to act in that capacity until Mr. Suntai was able to appear before the lawmakers to confirm that the transmitted letter to the House was genuine.

Many observers have argued that Mr. Suntai is not medically fit yet to act as governor and that the letter he purportedly transmitted to the House on Tuesday announcing his resumption was possibly doctored for him.

A Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has already petitioned the Inspector General Police to investigate the authenticity of the letter.

The governor of Taraba state was out of the country for 10 months for medical reasons after being involved in a plane crash last year.

He was brought into the country on August 25, 2013, Sunday, with some of his associates claiming he was now medically fit to resume work. The governor is yet to address lawmakers, the people of Taraba or indeed any person publicly since his return.