Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba state on Sunday arrived in Abuja after 10 months of medical treatment abroad after being involved in a plane crash on Oct. 25, 2012.<\/p>\n
Mr. Suntai did not talk to the media but some of his associates, who were at the airport, said he was \u201cmentally alert\u201d and fit to recognize people by names.<\/p>\n
John Dara, a friend of the governor\u2019s, said that the governor he saw was alert with his memory intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were excited to see him and it is understandable that after the long trip, he was weak and tired,\u201d Mr. Dara said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, we were thrilled by the fact that he recognized everyone by name which shows that he is mentally alert and lucid.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the governor\u2019s mental alertness indicated that he was capable of taking over the affairs of the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat itself is a clear indication that he is capable of running the affairs of Taraba as the governor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had no doubt in our minds that when he gets back to Jalingo today, it will be up to his doctor to say whether he will resume today or in a couple of days to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he is clearly okay and able to function,\u2019\u2019 Mr. Dara said.<\/p>\n
He said that his (the governor) decision not to talk to newsmen might be because of the long journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking to newsmen can be spontaneous and organised. So, we felt that when he has rested well, it will be easier for him to address Nigerians,\u2019\u2019 Dara said.<\/p>\n
Another close associate of Suntai, Rima Shamulu, said the decision to take over the ruling of the state lied with him in line with the provisions of the constitution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are provisions in the constitution for you to take over or not to.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if he gets back to Jalingo today, and he transmits a letter to the state assembly through the speaker that he has arrived, that is all; he can take over as the governor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I don\u2019t know why there are speculations around because there is constitutional provision when someone becomes too sick to function; it is not for us to speculate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with the way I saw him, he is all right,\u2019\u2019 Mr. Shamulu said.<\/p>\n
NAN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba state on Sunday arrived in Abuja after 10 months of medical treatment abroad after being involved in a plane crash on Oct. 25, 2012. Mr.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n