Court Sacks Garba Umar, Reinstates Danladi as Taraba Governor

Garba Umar is no longer the Acting Governor of Taraba state, as the Supreme Court sacked him on the ground that the process leading to the impeachment of his predecessor, Sani Abubakar Danladi was unconstitutional. However, the court reinstated Danladi. 

The court voided Danladi’s impeachment and ordered that he be reinstated.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgment of a seven-man panel that held an appeal by Danladi, upheld his (the appellant’s) argument that he was not accorded fair hearing by the panel that investigated the allegations against him and found him guilty of gross misconduct.

Danladi, in the appeal marked: SC 418/2013 had prayed the court to set aside the earlier decisions by the Court of Appeal, Yola and the Taraba State High Court, which affirmed his impeachment.

Danladi was impeached by the state’s House of Assembly on October 4, 2012 on ground of gross misconduct. He had accused the now ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai of influencing the legislators’ action.