Supreme Court reinstates impeached
Taraba deputy governor
NOVEMBER 21, 2014 BY ADE ADESOMOJU,
ABUJA

The Supreme Court has ordered the immediate
reinstatement of Deputy Governor of Taraba
State, Alhaji Sanni Danladi, who was impeached
by the state House of Assembly in October 2012.
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court
held that the impeachment panel set up by the
House of Assembly to investigate the allegations
against Danladi violated his rights to fair hearing.
The impeachment panel was said to have gone
ahead with its proceedings without hearing
Danladi and recommended his impeachment,
while the panel snubbed his court papers which
he served on it to challenge its composition.
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta who delivered the lead
judgment held that there seemed to be
conspiracy between both the Taraba State High
Court and the “kangaroo” impeachment panel to
frustrate the appellant.
He held that set aside the judgments of both the
Court of Appeal and the Taraba State High Court,
which had dismissed Danaladi’s suit.
The apex court held that the two lower courts
ought to have resolved the issue of fair hearing in
favour of Danladi.
Danladi was impeached about a month before
the governor of the state, Dambaba Suntai, was
involved in an air accident.
Garba Umar, who was appointed to replace
Danladi, was later elevated as the acting
governor, following Suntai’s ill health that
resulted from the crash.

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Politics is indeed a very dirty game.