The Taraba State Government has debunked claims circulating on social and traditional media that the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hamman-Adama Adamu, has been nominated as the new Deputy Governor of the state.
In a strongly worded statement delivered during a press briefing on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information, Zainab Jalingo, dismissed the report as “false, misleading, and wicked,” stressing that there is no vacancy in the office of the Deputy Governor.
Jalingo reaffirmed that Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Alkali remains the duly elected Deputy Governor of Taraba State and continues to perform his constitutional duties.
She said, “The attention of the Taraba State Government has been drawn to a rumour making the rounds on social and traditional media suggesting that His Excellency, Dr Agbu Kefas, the Executive Governor of Taraba State, has nominated Alhaji Hamman Adama as the new Deputy Governor of the state.
“This claim is entirely false, misleading, wicked and should be disregarded by the public in its entirety.”
The government further stated that any process of replacing a deputy governor must follow clear constitutional and legislative procedures, none of which have been initiated.
“The process of replacing a Deputy Governor, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, is clear. Due legislative and constitutional procedure is required. No such process has been initiated or contemplated at this time,” Jalingo emphasised.
She warned that those behind the rumour are attempting to sow confusion and distract the government from its mandate.
The commissioner urged citizens to disregard the rumour and rely only on official government communication channels for accurate information.
She said, “The Taraba State Government remains focused on delivering good governance and will not be distracted by unfounded speculations.
“We urge the public to remain calm and to rely only on verified information from official government communication channels.”