Open letter to Taraba State Governor Arch Darius Dickson Ishaku

Your Excellency I write you this letter as one of the elders in Mambilla Plateau...Before the 2015 general elections some of us knew nothing about you. It was some of our brothers who were among the founding members of PDP in Taraba state that introduced you to us.

Our question back then was where are you from? Where did you school and worked cos the name was new and strange to us. We were told not to worry as your coming from outside the state was going to produce an amazing experience in terms of developments. 

That was how we reluctantly voted you. The first thing we noticed was it took some considerable amount of time to form your cabinet.

Your 1st term ended with you creating Chiefdoms in Taraba state unprecedented in her history. Songs of praises and huge applause were all over the state.

For the first time in our history a sitting Governor visited remote villages in Mbamnga Constituency. Our folks trooped out in hundreds of thousands to welcome you.

You on the 1st of January, 2019 visited Bang people. You stood on the sacred grounds of Bang people and made wonderful promises one outstanding one was that if reelected the first thing you will do for us is the road from Gembu to Yang the border town between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Let me quickly remind you that the sacred grounds on which you stood that day to make those promises lays the Tomb of The Great Tohkimchim of Bang Kingdom. His spirit was there Live!

During the elections the 5 polling units comprising ONLY of Bang people gave you 100% votes. The only polling unit that didn't vote you belongs to your SA political and his kinsmen. To our surprise he was the first person you reappointed after your victory at the polls. Was that the way to reward someone who lost his polling unit when I recall you stopped over in that settlement and they all promised you heaven on earth?

In the Constituencies in Sardauna LGA, Mbamnga gave you the highest votes. Do you know why? This was because some few months back you were in Warwar when you raised the hand of Rt Hon Abel Peter Diah and proclaimed that he was you well beloved son in whom you were well pleased. Secondly the National Vice chairman PDP North East Chief GT Kataps also comes from this Constituency so with the duo you were guaranteed victory. 

Soon after your victory whispers began filtering that you wanted removing our illustrious son as Speaker. We doubted because how could you do such? But at last it was true. Our son resigned. Was this not enough for an ungrateful person? 

You then went on to systematically removed all of us who were seen to be close to Rt Hon Abel Peter Diah from all POSITIONS.  We all kept our cool after all it was your prerogative to do so.

As if this wasn't enough you unleashed your wild dogs on our traditional institutions especially the Mbonduah Mbamnga Amb E Q Njiwah even unto his death. As if this wasn't enough even while his corpse was still in the Mortuary FMC Jalingo you quickly and hastily appointed an Acting Mbonduah unprecedented in the history anywhere. We will never forgive you for this sacrilege. 

What followed was just a show of shame. Without any offence and query. you directed your cronies to remove the District Heads of Mbamnga, Vakude and Bang. Just like that your Excellency? The law does not function that way. Yes we remain grateful for so approving for them to be installed but you cannot remove them as if they were political appointments. The bill you signed into law in 2018 does not give you such powers. So the parties involved went to court and an order of court asking for status quo to be maintained was issued. 

However your wild dogs have continued violating this order. The law establishing Mbamnga Chiefdom has no provision for an Acting Mbonduah. Still you went ahead and appointed one. This one self doesn't know left from right. We have a video clip where he pledged his loyalty to Jedua, Bawa and Vaki. For us we do not recognize him. We do not know which laws he enjoys. 

Even if you didn't want to leave a vacuum your Excellency after the death of our Mbonduah you could have asked the  Most Senior District Head to hold brief.  So what is the agenda your Excellency? To destabilize our traditional institutions in which you helped made history? Never.

On Friday July 30th a Taraba High Court sitting in Gembu issued yet another order asking all parties in the chieftaincy matters in Mbamnga Chiefdom to maintain status quo. However those your clowns in Mbamnga are still going ahead violating this order. Now is this the peace mantra you asked us to give you?

In the avoidance of any doubt our people are not stupid. We have been patient enough. It is time for you to understand that we the people elected you Governor and not an Emperor. We have our rights under the laws of the land. And until the judicial processes run out please call off your wild dogs to stop embarrassing you.

They are not on ground your Excellency.  We are with the grassroots.

Comrade Jonah Jugwan Kataps is a labour leader, writes from Jalingo.