THE controversy generated by the continued absence of the governor of Taraba State Wednesday took a different dimension as the High Court sitting in Jalingo, the state capital, restrained the fact-finding committee set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ailing Danbaba Suntai from functioning.
The committee, which is being chaired by Senator Hope Uzodinma, was inaugurated by National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, to ascertain the reasons for the continuous absence of the governor.
Governor Suntai, who was involved in a plane crash on October 25, 2013, was immediately evacuated to Germany for medical attention and subsequently relocated to the United States of America (USA) for further medication.
Not satisfied by the long absence of the governor from office, the leadership of the party at the national level recently decided to inaugurate a 10-man committee to wade into the issue and to recommend an appropriate action to be taken by the party.
Not comfortable with the action of the leadership of the party at the national level, some elders of the PDP in the state immediately ran to the High Court for interpretation of the action of the national headquarters of the party.
In his ruling, Justice Nuhu S. Adi restrained the entire members of the fact-finding committee on Governor Suntai from acting on the terms of reference given to them by the National Headquarters of the party (PDP).
Members of the fact-finding committee include Senator Uzodinma, Ahmed Gullau, Alhaji Shittu Mohammed, Alhaji Bala Buhari, Professor Richard King, Mrs. Bolajoko Doherty and Senator Abubakar U. Gada.
Adi admonished all the defendants to refrain from "anything pertaining to the office of the governor of Taraba State as it relates to the temporary absence from office of the substantive governor of Taraba State or in relation to performance of the functions of the office of the governor of Taraba State by the deputy governor, now acting governor of the state, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice."
Adi also cautioned PDP, which is the first defendant, to restrain from "receiving and/or implementing any report submitted to the 2nd-8th defendants/respondents or any other committee instituted by the first defendants/respondents in so far as any such report touches on or relates to the absence from office of the governor of Taraba State."
Most of the PDP chieftains contacted for comment declined for fear of being punished by the party.
"As you know, this is a very sensitive issue. But the truth is that majority of us are very happy with the ruling because the constitution is very clear on the issue. The only thing now is that none of us would want our names made public."
The official added: "You know what the party can do. So personally, I don't want to be used as a scapegoat by our party. Like I told you, we welcome the ruling. The governor is only ill, he is still alive and he has not been declared incapacitated by the cabinet or declared unfit to continue by his medical teams, so why the desperation?"
Lead counsel to the plaintiffs, E. A. Ibrahim Effiong, told The Guardian that the PDP has no right to wade into the matter because "the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has already taken care of such situation."
The Guardian