How Delayed Cabinet Lists Rattles PDP

  ● Party Chairman, Gov. Ishaku disagree on appointment

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Taraba State are worried that more than six months after Inauguration for a second term in office, Governors  Darius Ishaku has not constituted his cabinet, accusing the governor of running a one man government in the state. 

The Governor who is yet to form his cabinet is said to have pushed most of the responsibilities to the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Anthony Jalleson, and the Head of Service.
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PDP members who spoke to Taraba Truth and Facts want the governor to immediately appoint party loyalists who worked for his re-election into offices.

Taraba Truth and Facts gathered that the delaying in forming a cabinet in the state might not be unconnected to some political calculation ahead of 2023.

A source told us that the State Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Victor Bala Kona had requested for 10 names per local government to be submitted to the governor for consideration for appointments into various offices including Commissioner and Special Advisers shortly after the governor was sworn in.

“Hon. Victor was sitting with stakeholders to harmonize the names which angered the Governor, he allegedly accused the party chairman of taking over his duties as governor of the state.”

The Governor and the party chairman are at logger head over who get appointed into the new state executive council, while the chairman believes the party should nominate party faithful who has contributed to the growth of the party, Governor Ishaku believes Hon. Victor is trying to fix his loyalists in office so that they can support his governorship ambition in 2023. Those around the governor said Governor Ishaku is keeping his would be successor to his chest and does not want to give any political advantage to those already nursing ambition of taking over from him, according to them the governor plans to clip wings of prominent individuals nursing governorship ambition in 2023 is to pave the way for whosoever he anoints.” 

The Source continued that “If the Governor had allowed the party list to make the appointments, they may not be loyal to the governor because it will be Hon. Victor that made them commissioners and SA and not politically answerable to the governor.”

However a Chieftain of the PDP in the state accused the governor of not allowing party stakeholders of making input into the political appointments.

The Chieftain who spoke on the condition of anonymity said  ''It’s true the governor wants to do the appointment by himself, we were told our nomination for the appointment has been brush aside by the governor and its very wrong, the governor must allow the party make input in the cabinet, only loyal party members should be appointed.”

Another source said the governor was yet to forward his list of commissioners to the House of Assembly because the ‘coast for easy passage was not clear’, ''until recently the governor has not been in good terms with the state lawmakers, he was worried that his list might not be cleared.

The Governor had  a brief exclusive interview with the Nation Newspaper said he was “consulting diligently” to bring on board a credible team that would be productive to “offer results.”

He added,” “Forming an exco is not just about assembling a group of people. So I am still consulting, and I am doing it diligently to come up with people who can give result. Or, is it not performance the people want?

 “Even in my first tenure, it took me three months to form the exco. However, I will announce the list of commissioner-nominees very soon,”

Meanwhile a Jalingo based lawyer and human right activist, Barr. Bilyaminu Lukman Maihanchi had earlier  called on the Taraba State House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Dairus Ishaku over his failure to appoint commissioners and form a state executive council in the last five months.
Maihanchi in a letter said since the inception of the Governor's second tenure, ''his government has been operating without a Chief Law Officer & Commissioners as Constitutionally guaranteed, and it’s a duty bound Constitutionally for the Governor to hold regular meetings with his Deputy Governor and all Commissioners of the Government for the performance of his functions. His failure or refusal to appoint an Attorney General, with his Commissioners and to hold regular meetings for 3 months, is an act of gross misconduct in the performance of his office and call for his impeachment.''