Suntai restored to office

…Passes resolution endorsing Umar
 From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna and DAVID MOLOMO, JalingoThe Taraba State House of Assembly yesterday formally passed a resolution, asking Alhaji Garba Umar, to continue as Acting governor, pending when ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai, would be physically and mentally fit to resume duty.  The resolution, which was passed at the plenary session of the House, was a follow-up to the lawmakers’ decision of last Wednesday after their visit to Suntai. They held that Suntai was unfit to resume duty and advised that he should seek further medical attention.
Reading out the latest resolution in the House yesterday, the Deputy Speaker, Tanko Maikarfi, who chaired the session, noted that the exercise was  in view of the “incapacitation” of Governor Suntai.
The session was attended by nine of the 16 lawmakers, who had signed last week’s resolution, declaring that Suntai could not have authored the letter, purportedly written to the House, upon his arrival, after 10 months of receiving medical attention in Germany and the United States. The House invoked the provisions of  Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and transmitted power to his deputy to act as the governor.
Meanwhile, the sacked Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Garvey Yawe, returned to work yesterday. He was appointed by the Acting Governor Umar,  after he (Umar) fired the one originally appointed by Suntai, before the governor had air mishap, on the allegation of corruption.
But upon Suntai’s return, the governor also fired Yawe last week, and replaced him with Mr. Timothy Kataps, the Attorney-General. Suntai’s spokesman, Sylvanus Giwa, had also announced the sacking of the entire cabinet last week.
However, Yawe’s return to his duty post yesterday has further confirmed that the purported sack of the entire cabinet by Suntai, remained “null and void,” as countered by the Acting governor last week.
There were also strong indications yesterday in Jalingo that Suntai may have resolved to approach the court to stop Umar from functioning but return to his position, as the deputy governor.
Meanwhile, two delegations from the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Presidency are expected in Jalingo today to wade into the political crisis, which deepened since the arrival of the ailing Suntai pen-ultimate Sunday.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Acting Governor, Mr Kefas Sule, told Daily Sun that the two teams would be preceded by members of the National Assembly from the state,who would prepare the ground for the combined meeting of all the  political actors.