Fresh information from Taraba
state appear to confirm earlier reports that Governor Dambaba Suntai who
has been away in Germany may no longer be in a position to perform the
functions of his office.
Suntai was flown to Germany in October last year for
treatment as a result of injuries he sustained when a Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ
aircraft which he was piloting crashed near Yola.
Amidst conflicting reports that Suntai may have suffered
from an irreversible brain damage, government and officials of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) insist that the governor is hale and hearty but still
recuperating and receiving treatment as an out-patient in the hospital.
In order to scuttle intense pressure to swear-in Alhaji
Garba Umar as the substantive governor, politicians loyal to the governor had
earlier planned to return him to Nigeria on yesterday but competent sources at
the Taraba state Government House said that the move had to be aborted as
Suntai was not really in a condition to face the public.
But one of the sources hinted yesterday that the “cabal”
may have rescheduled January 26, 2012 as new date for the return of the
governor.
However, in an apparent bid to buy time and hope that
Suntai may eventually recover and resume his duties, the source explained that
when the governor returns, he may tender a document to proceed on an
indefinite leave of absence so that the Deputy Governor, Umar, will continue to
function as acting governor.
But where the planned leave of absence drags on for too
long, the source said that those behind the plot would tender a letter of
resignation on behalf of the governor to pave way for the swearing-in of Umar
as substantive governor.
Leading a cross section of other Taraba people, a former
Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Saleh Danboyi, has since canvassed
Suntai’s replacement arguing that the governor was brain damaged as a result of
the accident.
But the PDP Chairman in the state, Victor Bala Kona, has
dismissed as untrue, reports of Suntai’s permanent incapacitation and insisted
that the governor is in stable condition.
Kona who addressed a press conference last weekend
explained that, “the governor survived an air crash and the recovery process
must take its course. Those expecting him to recover overnight are only trying
to make him a superman and are not being honest; surviving an air crash is no
child’s play.
“He needs time to go through the current physiotherapy.
The German doctors are very enthusiastic about his recuperation and would soon
announce a date for his home coming.”
Source: Peoples Daily
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