The Supreme Court has sacked the acting governor of Taraba state, Garba Umar and ordered the immediate reinstatement of the former 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 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, noting that the impeachment panel failed to hear Danladi and snubbed his court papers which he served on it to challenge its composition.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta who delivered the lead judgment 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.