Taraba State has been without an active deputy governor for more than eight months, raising legal and political questions about governance in the North East state.
Deputy Governor Alhaji Aminu Alkali, who has been battling ill health since last year, has not been seen in public since late 2026. Initially hospitalised at the National Hospital in Abuja, Alkali was later flown to Egypt for further treatment after his condition deteriorated.
Governor Agbu Kefas has continued to steer the affairs of the state in Alkali’s absence, a development that has drawn scrutiny from political observers and legal analysts, particularly regarding the constitutionality of the prolonged vacuum in the office of the deputy governor.
The deputy governor’s core responsibilities include acting on behalf of the governor in his absence, and his extended incapacity has left a leadership gap that many say should be addressed formally through constitutional channels.
Despite growing calls for clarity on the matter, the Taraba State Executive Council, which is constitutionally empowered to deliberate on such issues, has remained silent. This has further fuelled speculation about the health status of the deputy governor and the state's reluctance to invoke constitutional provisions for declaring the office vacant due to incapacitation.
In an apparent move to fill the administrative void, Governor Kefas recently appointed Mr Emmanuel Lawson, a deputy chief of staff, to oversee the Office of the Deputy Governor.
In a letter dated July 1, 2027, and signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Gebon T. Kataps, Lawson was directed to assume responsibility for coordinating activities and programmes associated with the deputy governor’s office, effective immediately.
According to the letter, the appointment was intended “to ensure effectiveness of governance and articulation of government policies and programmes emanating from the purview of the Office of the Deputy Governor.”
The decision has stirred debate in the state capital, Jalingo, with some critics arguing that the move effectively installs Lawson as a de facto deputy governor—despite his unelected status. Legal observers say that while administrative support can be assigned to the office, only a constitutionally recognised and elected official can legally occupy the position or act in the governor’s absence.
“This appointment has no legal basis,” said one analyst. “Lawson is a civil servant and cannot assume the constitutional duties of a deputy governor. If Alkali is unfit to continue, the proper process must be followed to declare the office vacant.”
However, Governor Kefas’s spokesman, Emmanuel Bello, dismissed such concerns, insisting that Lawson’s posting was purely administrative and does not amount to a replacement of the deputy governor.
“He was not posted to take over the role of the deputy governor,” Bello said. “The deputy governor is still very much in office and is recovering well. He suffered a stroke, which affected one side of his body and his speech, but the treatment is ongoing and we are optimistic about his full recovery.”
Bello added that the government is hopeful of Alkali’s return to active duty in the near future, and that there are no plans to remove him from office.
Still, the prolonged silence of the state executive council and the absence of a formal address on the deputy governor’s condition continue to stoke anxiety among residents, with many calling for greater transparency and adherence to constitutional processes.
Taraba, one of Nigeria’s most ethnically diverse and economically challenged states, has been under increasing pressure to maintain administrative stability amid worsening security and development challenges.
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