The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Taraba state have engaged in a verbal war over the long stay of governor Darius Ishaku in Abuja for nearly two months. The governor was last seen in the state on 22nd December, 2019.
Ishaku’s last public function was the presentation of the 2020 appropriations bill to the state house of assembly on 19th December, last year.
APC State Chairman, Ibrahim El-Sudi and the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 elections, Prof. Muhammad Yahaya recently at a joint press conference in Jalingo threatened to institute a legal action against the governor.
It was exactly fifty four days of the governor’s sojourn in Abuja as of the time of the APC press conference.
For staying in Abuja for over for 54 days, “the Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC shall explore legal options against the state Governor, Darius Ishaku.
“The party will also explore options to compel the governor to return to the state if the state House of Assembly fails to comply with necessary constitutional provisions”.
The duo also accused Governor Ishaku of leaving the state for nearly two months without transmitting power to his deputy, Haruna Manu.
El-Sudi said: “The governor has failed to do the needful and he has been out of the state for more than 54 days now. The House has also failed to invoke the necessary constitutional provisions. We, therefore, call on the House to urgently do this in the interest of the state.”
However, the PDP in the state disagreed with the position of the APC, describing it as an attempt to incite the citizens of the state against the governor and the ruling PDP.
In a statement on Thursday signed by Inuwa Bakari, the state publicity secretary of PDP, and made available to some correspondent in Jalingo, the party said the statement by the APC against Ishaku was “the sadistic intent with which the APC takes the issue of government in Taraba state”.
Meanwhile a group under the auspices of Taraba Concerned Youth, said the governor has abandoned Taraba State for his personal businesses in Abuja.
While berating the state ruling PDP for shielding the governor’s lackadaisical altitudes towards governing the state, the group called on the State House of Assembly to as a matter of urgency transmit powers to the deputy governor, Haruna Manu.
The leader of the group, Tofa Bama, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Jalingo, called on the people to stand up for their right without fear or favour.
“Governor Ishaku has abandoned his people for his personal businesses in Abuja. My worry is that the State House of Assembly is not doing the needful. They should transmit powers to the deputy governor for the smooth running of the state pending when governor Ishaku returns to the state. The people of the state should also stand for their right,” the group stated.
BusinessDay gathered that the State House of Assembly is currently on recess which many describe as a strategy to shy away from transmitting powers to the deputy governor, Haruna Manu.
