Ibrahim Sagir
July 1, 2015 – The Taraba state government and close associates have abandon former governor Danbaba Suntai who was involve in a plane crash while in office even as his health condition continues to deteriorate.
Suntai was brought back to the country from his America hospital in the heat of political power struggle in the state, The former governor currently suffers from stroke and has been unable to meet up with his medical appointments outside the country.
The current state governor Dairus Ishaku, we gathered complained of lack of funds, saying the state government cannot continue to foot the former governor’s medical bills.
Sources said Suntai will be flown outside the country this week on the expenses of Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindowa of Adamawa state.
Coordinator of the Taraba Peoples Assembly Martins Andekin in an article titled ‘Let pray for Governor Danbaba Suntai’ lamented that those who rode on former governor’s back to get political offices in the state have abandoned him, as his health deteriorates daily.
The article reads in parts: “The plot to blackmail and remove Alhaji Garba Umar from the governance of Taraba State started almost immediately after the ill-fated air accident which incapacitated former Governor Danbaba Suntai.
“The presumed associates of Danbaba Suntai saw Alhaji Garba Umar as an impostor who had come from nowhere to reap from their political labour. It was his major sin.
“However, the fulcrum of the struggle to remove Alhaji Garba Umar was Danbaba’s ill-health. While governor Danbaba was battling for his life in a German hospital, the group now widely known as the cabals spread all forms of lies, falsehoods and propaganda to mislead and hoodwink ordinary people to believe that indeed Danbaba had miraculously recovered and would return in a matter of days”, a source said.
Several reasons, we gathered were given for his return to no avail while intensifying the false and dangerous notion that Garba Umar was usurping his principal’s power.
“Twice, the cabals abducted Governor Danbaba Suntai from his sick bed in America and Great Britain claiming that he had recovered his health. The two incidents ended in total disaster and disgrace for the organizers, which included national political jobbers like Professor Jerry Gana and John Dara”.
“Later, a gullible part of Christian Association of Nigeria, not only joined this devious and self-seeking conspiracy but also took the front row in spreading wild rumors and ferrying Governor Danbaba Suntai round churches in the name of attending church services.
“This not only aggravated his illness but also took a heavy toll on the image of the State.
“As soon as Sani Abubakar Danladi was installed, Danbaba Suntai was completely abandoned by these so-called associates and some members of the Christian Association of Nigeria, who claimed to be fighting for him.
“He was not taken to church again; no inter-denominational service was held for him and worst still, his upkeep was drastically cut. In fact Danbaba Suntai was not seen in public again until another exploitative manipulation when he was paraded in a voting unit purporting to cast his vote.
“The highest stage of betrayal against Danbaba Suntai, whom the cabals and their cohorts, pretended he was still in office, was the glaring failure to even take him to the swearing in of his successor to do a symbolic hand-over.
“Nobody said anything about him as he had since been moved to a house said to have been bought for him by the government.
“The latest unfortunate development is that the former Governor Danbaba’s health has deteriorated and he is returning to hospital abroad on the expenses of Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindowa of Adamawa state and not the Taraba State Governor that had always claimed to work in his interest.
“It is now clear that Danbaba Suntai has been made a sacrificial lamb for a pretentious and contrived power shift by some self imposed political cronies and misguided people claiming to establish a religious hegemony in the state.
“If Governor Danbaba Suntai, had stayed in hospital for a minimum period of two and half years as his American doctors had initially recommended, by now he would have fully recovered his health. But, the power mongers would have none of it, and now his health has continued to spiral downwards due to constant movements against medical advice.
“If something drastic happens to him, these cronies and some gullible pastors will have to bear the shame and guilt of using and dumping this innocent man, to their graves.
“On his path, Alhaji Garba Umar had kept faith with his boss. He had not withheld a single kobo from all requirements for his treatment and upkeep. On two separate occasions when Governor Danbaba Suntai required urgent Medical checkup abroad, the administration of Alhaji Garba Umar immediately raised funds to charter aircraft to convey him to London to and fro, including the cost of his medication and allowances for his family and medical aides.
“On the other hand when a similar situation occurred after he left office, it took more than two months to raise funds to put him on a commercial British Airways flight to London. There is no administration in Nigeria that is insulated from shortage of funds. Every responsible government must rise to the challenge of prudently managing its resources instead of unnecessarily blaming others as an excuse for failure to meet the people’s expectations.
“Alhaji Garba Umar, also provided enough for his families including full financial support to his children schooling abroad; despite several attempts to instigate hatred and insults against him. Time has now provided all God fearing Tarabans and other Nigerians the opportunity to determine, who between Umar UTC and the cabals that betrayed Danbaba”.
