By SaharaReporters, New York

A letter purportedly signed by the ailing governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai, seeking to resume his office, was today received by the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

Mr. Suntai, who suffered serious brain injury in an air crash in Nigeria in October last year, was flown back from the United States yesterday by a cabal desperate to maintain control of political power in the state despite the governor’s evident incapacitation. Doctors in the United States have said it is unlikely he will recover sufficiently to lead a normal life.

Upon his return yesterday, he appeared confused and was repeatedly being helped around by a circle of officials. Neither in Abuja, at the airport in Jalingo nor at the Governors’s Lodge did he utter a word for, against or about anything. SaharaReporters has consistently reported on his near-vegetative state and inability to function normally.

In the letter to the Assembly, sources say the governor claims that he has fully recovered from his injuries. The letter is being treated with derision by officials of the state who have so far been prevented from seeing or hearing from him 24 hours after his return.

Meanwhile, Hajiya Hauwa, the wife of Mr. Suntai who is known to be coordinating the political hoax about her husband, told security chiefs who tried to visit him at home yesterday that he needed to observe bed rest for at least 72 hours.

The purported letter is apparently the handiwork of Mrs. Hauwa and several of his aides who are hell bent on creating a political crisis in the state that would enable President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency there.

Taraba State has a high number of Christians as well as Muslims, and Mr. Suntai’s condition is being used by his supporters to whip up religious sentiments that would likely provoke a crisis. The governor’s supporters seem determined not to let the deputy governor, a Muslim, assume power despite the governor’s incapacitation.

Meanwhile, the House of Assembly has said it would invite Mr. Suntai to come before the assembly and address them regarding his health and plans to resume work.

A legislative source in the state said the House will be meeting to consider Mr. Suntai’s letter any moment from now.

Face to face with Suntai
At the hospital, on telling the receptionist that I was there to pay solidarity visit to “Mr. Danbaba Suntai”, I was given a red visitor’s tag that bore the date: Aug 24, 2013 above the inscription ‘Date’. With that empowerment, I located the elevator and pressed the ’5′ button.

On the 5th Floor, visitors are welcome to the Elizabeth E. Conelly Rehabilitation Gymnasium with a hanging direction slab pointing visitor’s in two directions namely: “Sycamore Lane 5East and Sycamore Hill 5West”.

I made for the East which is to the left hand side of the hall. As demanded, I had to stop by the Medical Desk to ask for the Gov’s Room no. But the lady I met, wearing the name tag bearing Dorothy Mointosh-Waddy, Head Nurse, was busy explaining usage of the dispensed drug for Gov. Danbaba Suntai.

While waiting, I did a quick look-around. And there, he was. I got locked in eye contact with the man himself, Gov. Danbaba Suntai!
He sat on a wheelchair in Room 503 beside his bed laid in white with three pillows well set aside each one. The name tag on his room read: Dan Fulani. He wore a red T-shirt on an off-white pair of trouser. He also wore a grey coloured sneaker to complete the outfit. On the table beside his bed was a bouquet of white flowers laced with colour pink on the edges with a bold inscription that read: “We love you”. But he did not utter a word to the reporter neither did he move his body. He only raised and lowered his head on the same spot.

On impulse, he looked up and saw the reporter. Then he locked his eyes on the reporter squeezing his face probably for a recollection. This lasted for over ten minutes judging by the clock on the wall. After a while, he looked away and bowed his head.

The medications
A few minutes later, I concentrated on some of the medications being prescribed for the man. A few of those read out: amoxil 4mls 2xdaily, there is another drug he is to take at 9am daily; there is another one he is to take every six hours, a liquid medication in a white container with a few measuring cups and several others all packed in a big brown envelope with instruction that everything must be dutifully taken till August 28th when there would be need for him to change to ‘his’ earlier medication, according to Head Nurse Mointosh-Waddy.

Clerverly: He wants to resume as a vegetable?? A Joke country run by a Comedian at the top. Smh!

eGuerrilla: Does this man look well enough for any role that requires functioning cognitive skills?

simpleseyi: Using my church PDP mind to look at this issue critically. I think this man is fully fit to perform his functions as the state governor. Though, he cannot walk on his own without assistant, but he has many personal assistants who will assist him. Besides, he does not need to walk to office, he can always be carried to the office. As per his mental ability, that is no issue na, after all Abacha that had mental disorder ruled the country for many years. Even Idris Wada was proven in the election tribunal of being a run-away psychiatric patient of UI teaching hospital and the guy is still ruling his state. What about our dear Dame Sheppopotamus, are we sure she is mental okay with the way she has been behaving?

So, please let the man continue in office until he rests in pieces like Yar'Adua and get state burial. He can then meet Yar'Adua or Abacha and share out of the 70 virgins allocated to each of them in the great beyond.

simpleseyi: Using my church PDP mind to look at this issue critically. I think this man is fully fit to perform his functions as the state governor. Though, he cannot walk on his own without assistant, but he has many personal assistants who will assist him. Besides, he does not need to walk to office, he can always be carried to the office. As per his mental ability, that is no issue na, after all Abacha that had mental disorder ruled the country for many years. Even Idris Wada was proven in the election tribunal of being a run-away psychiatric patient of UI teaching hospital and the guy is still ruling his state. What about our dear Dame Sheppopotamus, are we sure she is mental okay with the way she has been behaving?

So, please let the man continue in office until he rests in pieces like Yar'Adua and get state burial. He can then meet Yar'Adua or Abacha and share out of the 70 virgins allocated to each of them in the great beyond.

simpleseyi: Using my church PDP mind to look at this issue critically. I think this man is fully fit to perform his functions as the state governor. Though, he cannot walk on his own without assistant, but he has many personal assistants who will assist him. Besides, he does not need to walk to office, he can always be carried to the office. As per his mental ability, that is no issue na, after all Abacha that had mental disorder ruled the country for many years. Even Idris Wada was proven in the election tribunal of being a run-away psychiatric patient of UI teaching hospital and the guy is still ruling his state. What about our dear Dame Sheppopotamus, are we sure she is mental okay with the way she has been behaving?

So, please let the man continue in office until he rests in pieces like Yar'Adua and get state burial. He can then meet Yar'Adua or Abacha and share out of the 70 virgins allocated to each of them in the great beyond.

eGuerrilla: Does this man look well enough for any role that requires functioning cognitive skills?

Neurological doctors treating Governor Danbaba Suntai of
Taraba State in the United States have told his family and
the state government footing his medical bills the governor
cannot return to normal state of mental health that would
enable him to function as a governor.