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| Governor Peter Obi |
by: Chuks Okocha
The crisis rocking the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) seem
not to be abating as the governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has accused governors
elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of manipulating
the Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi against him in 2011 to become the
chairman of the Governors’ Forum.
Also, the Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko urged Nigerians not to
set the outcome of the NGF election as a precursor to the 2015 presidential
election, stating that the process of the election won by Governor Amaechi by
19 votes to Governor Jonah Jang was immoral and fraudulent as Amaechi presided
and stage managed his victory.
Governor Jang has also accused Governor Amaechi of running
the NGF as a dictator, while Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State said
that the NGF has no approved constitution, challenging any governor to bring
out the minutes where the NGF constitution was approved.
Giving insight on how the seed of discord was sowed in the
NGF, Obi brandished a letter signed by the four South-east governors of Ebonyi,
Enugu, Abia and Imo States in May 19
2011 for him to succeed former chairman of NGF, Bukola Saraki as the next chairman.
But lamented that the PDP governors traded him off for Amaechi to succeed him.
He said that the South-east governors had earlier endorsed
him before Amaechi was suddenly picked for the position in 2011, adding that
the position was not given to him just because he was not from PDP, even when
the other South-east governors, who were members of PDP, nominated him for the position.
The letter signed by the four South-east governors, Theodore
Orji, Martins Elechi, Sullivan Chime and Ikedi Ohakim, with reference number
SEGF/S/GOVS/INT/1/022 and address to Saraki, who was the former chairman of
NGF, with the heading “Nomination of Mr. Peter Obi” read: “We, the governors of
the South-east of Nigeria wish to respectfully nominate Mr. Peter Obi, Governor
of Anambra State of Nigeria as a candidate for the position of Chairman,
Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
“Our action in this regard is unanimously as a zone and is
borne out of our firm conviction that he will discharge the functions of this
office with credibility, dedication and due diligence.
“Kindly accept the assurance of our highest regards.”
The governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi emphasised that
elections in the forum have always been by consensus, adding that the election
of Amaechi by seven governors and six deputies was by consensus in Kwara State
in 2011.
But in a swift reaction, former NGF Chairman, Senator Saraki
said that there was no trade off, as it is only the convention that the party with the majority governors
should provide the chairman of the forum. He told THISDAY that PDP governors
rejected Obi because he is not from the
majority party, hence the chance was
thrown to the South-south.
“At the meeting in Ilorin, when the PDP governors insisted
that the office of chairman of the NGF must go to the party with majority and
no South-east PDP governor want to be chairman. We first offered the seat to
Ebonyi governor and he rejected it. Later, the meeting reluctantly asked the South-south to produce the chairman.
Governors Amaechi, Imoke and Timi Sylva were asked to choose who among them to
become the chairman and they entered a room and later came out with the choice
of Amaechi.
“So there was no manipulation, but a matter of
conventional rule of the majority
party,” he said.
Jang who said that he was drafted to the NGF election as a
neutral candidate described Amaechi as a
dictator, saying, “Amaechi virtually turned himself to a dictator when he was
the chairman NGF.”
He explained that there was never anywhere in the NGF
Constitution that said that a chairman could be re-elected, adding that it was
only Amaechi, who knows where he got that portion of the constitution that says
a sitting chairman could be re-elected.
Jang, who was briefing journalists in company of Cross
River, Ondo and Anambra states governors, said there was never anytime
governors met to ratify the constitution, adding that the only time governors
met on that alleged constitution was when Namadi Sambo was still the governor
of Kaduna State and the constitution was never ratify to accommodate a sitting
chairman re-contesting, contrary to what Amaechi was propagating.
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