Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku
Tension is brewing in Sardauna Local Council of Taraba State following the alleged suspension of three traditional rulers by the state government for attending a political gathering.
Adding to the tension is the alleged transfer of no fewer than 25 civil servants of Sardauna to distant councils for the same reason.
The Governor, Darius Ishaku, belongs to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Describing the action as “unconstitutional, uncalled for and undemocratic”, the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership beckoned the government to desist from trampling on the rights of people.
According to APC, reversing the suspension and the transfers has become necessary.
Chairman of Taraba APC, Ibrahim Tukur el-Sudi, stated that the party was at a loss on the governor’s reason for going that far to stifle opposition in the state.
El-Sudi, who spoke extensively on telephone, said those affected were only exercising their constitutional rights, and should be left alone.
Citing recent Supreme Court rulings that cleared civil servants to participate in politics, he said the civil service rules preventing civil servants from participating in politics “have been overruled by the Supreme Court.”
Rather than going about intimidating APC supporters in Taraba, government should be working round the clock to herald the much-desired growth in the state, he asserted.
The APC boss believes that intimidating public servants and traditional rulers and APC’s supporters would not debar APC from making headway in the next general elections.
APC’s gathering in Gembu, headquarters of Sardauna Local Council, which, The Guardian learnt, brought its supporters from every nook and cranny of the council, reportedly necessitated the government’s action.
All efforts to reach the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, failed.
However, the Commissioner for Information and Reorientation, Alhassan Gassol, denied knowledge of such suspension and transfer, but promised to get back to our correspondent after verifying the allegations from the appropriate quarters.
The Guardian
