Taraba is boiling over the long absence of Deputy Governor Aminu Abdullahi Alkali from the state.

Alkali had not been seen in the state since January.

He is believed to have taken ill and moved out of the state for treatment.

There were speculations that he is receiving treatment abroad.

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the government of Governor Agbu Kefas to address the issue in public interest.

It criticized the House of Assembly for keeping mute over the matter.

But spokesman of the House of Assembly Nelson Len, said that there was no communication from the governor asking it to declare the ailing deputy governor incapacitated.

He said: “The rumour is false and the narrative is baseless. There is nothing of such that has happened. There is nothing of such that is happening.

“They haven’t brought such a matter before us concerning the removal or replacement of the deputy governor.

“The process of removing a deputy governor is very clear. You don’t just remove a deputy governor because of his ill health. First of all, a medical team would be set up to investigate and be sure why that action needed to be taken.”

Taraba APC Publicity Secretary Aaron Artimas, demanded government’s explanation on the whereabouts of the ailing deputy governor.

“If he is incapacitated and unable to perform his functions, he should be removed,” Artimas said.

He also demanded a clarification on the media report that Kefas had forwarded the name of Hamman Adama Abdullahi, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly as replacement for Alkali.

Artimas said the deputy governor’s absence had created a vacuum, wondering why the governor is reluctant to invoke the 1999 Constitution as amended, following the long absence.

He said the constitutional provisions in respect of incapacitation of the governor or deputy governor should be strictly followed.

But the state government clarified that although the deputy governor is ill, he is not incapacitated, adding that he is responding to treatment.

Section 189 states as follows: “The Governor or Deputy Governor of a state shall cease to hold office if: by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the State, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office.

Artimas said: “We have made our position clear more than five months ago. We issued a statement saying it is a violation of the constitution.

The government, through the Commissioner for Information, Zainab Jalingo, told a news conference that the deputy governor was away on sick leave and that he would be back.

The commissioner said: “She came up with a very bizarre reason that the constitution allows the deputy governor to stay for as long as he likes and there is nothing like that in the constitution.

“Tarabans are not interested in that because of the way people regard governance in the state. It is not about the party or position, it is about responsible governance. Everybody knows that when people are elected into office, they are expected to do their job. We know that everybody is susceptible to illness and we are concerned about him because as a party, we want justice to be done to the deputy governor himself.

“If he is not well, all the governor ought to have done was to give him proper attention. If he is not able to go ahead, he should be excused and paid all his entitlements and the process should be followed to appoint a new deputy governor.

“All these the government has failed to do and it only means that they are not responsible. So, the constitution does not say the governor should rule the state alone.

“It is not about the APC or positions; it is that the government does not respect the will of the people of Taraba. The governor is not responsible and they are not complying with the provisions of the constitution under which they were elected into government.”

The Publicity Secretary accused other political parties and the House of Assembly of maintaining sealed lips on the matter.

Artimas said: “The House of Assembly that should be a check on the executive arm of government has become a rubber stamp. In fact, the House of Assembly has become a branch of the executive arm of government.”

No complaint about absence, says governor’s aide

However, the Special Adviser to the governor on Politics, Professor Josiah Sabo Kente, explained that the deputy governor, who is recuperating in the hospital, never committed any offence to warrant his removal.

He said: “This issue is a very simple. It is very explicit in Section 89, Sub-section B on the procedures for the removal of a governor or the deputy governor. For the avoidance of doubt, it stipulates clearly that it is either the governor or the deputy governor is incapacitated or by death or impeachment.

“In this case, the deputy governor has not been removed from office. His ailment does not place him within the category of incapacitation. No medical team has been set up to ascertain if he is incapacitated or not. So, what is the essence of all the clamour?

“It is uncalled for since governance is still going on. The constitution does not stipulate the number of days within which such a person can be removed or replaced.

“Recently, the governor issued a statement that the deputy governor is recuperating from his ailment. Has government activities stopped? No. Has the governor complained that his deputy’s absence has stalled government activities? No. So, what is the matter?”

Kente described the deputy governor as “a spare tyre to the governor”, adding, “In an event that the governor is functioning well, the deputy governor has little or nothing to contribute.

He added: “As a matter of fact, I personally spoke with him. It was a very coordinated conversation I had with him. Don’t forget all of us are human beings and we are susceptible to falling sick at any given time.

‘Governor has not appointed a new deputy’

The state government said no nomination had been made to replace the deputy governor.

The Commissioner of Information and Reorientation urged the people to disregard the report.

She stressed: “This claim is entirely false, misleading, wicked and should be disregarded by the public in its entirety.

“We wish to categorically state that there is no vacancy in the office of the Deputy Governor. The current Deputy Governor, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Alkali, remains the duly elected Deputy Governor of Taraba State”. (The Nation)