Taraba Acting Governor Sacked

A Supreme Court judgement delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta has removed the acting governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar, from office.

The court order the immediate swearing-in of a former deputy governor of the state, Abubakar Danladi, as the new acting governor.

Danladi contested the governorship election as running mate to ailing Dantata Suntai, who was involved in an air crash in October 2012.

The former deputy governor was impeached shortly before Suntai took ill after the air disaster that has taken him out of governance since then.

Umar, who replaced Danladi as deputy governor, was sworn-in as Taraba State acting governor. But recently, he has been having issues with allies of Suntai, who believe the acting governor was plotting to stop Suntai’s return as governor of the state.

The seven justices of the court, in their unanimous decision on Friday, nullified the impeachment of Danladi. They pointed out that he was denied fair hearing by the Taraba State House of Assembly, which impeached him in October 2012.

Danladi was accused of fraud and abuse of office by the House and a panel set up to investigate the allegations, which found him guilty.

The court described the panel as ‘kangaroo panel’ and faulted his impeachment.