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| Governor Rotimi Amaechi |
Dismisses NGF meeting for today
By Olawale Olaleyeand Ernest Chinwo
The crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) may have
continued to fester as its chairman and Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi
Chibuike Amaechi, Sunday warned the Plateau State Governor, Mr. Jonah Jang, to
stop impersonating him as the NGF chairman because his action typified
criminality.
Amaechi who handed the warning yesterday in a statement he
personally signed, also dismissed a purported meeting of the NGF allegedly
slated for today at the instance of Jang, saying as the NGF chairman, he was
yet to call a meeting of the governors.
The Rivers Governor said he had received several calls and
messages from concerned Nigerians, both home and away, who alleged that a
certain person which he believed was the Governor of Plateau State, had been
impersonating him and thought it was imperative for many reasons other than the
criminal undertone to end it.
Amaechi said: “On Saturday, June 15 and Sunday June 16,
reports in the media credited to my brother governor, Governor Jonah Jang of
Plateau State, alleged that he has called for a Nigeria Governors’ Forum
meeting. Ordinarily, I would have ignored these reports as I do not imagine
that as governors who hold our peoples’ mandate through the democratic process
of free and fair elections, we would do anything to impugn our integrity or
threaten our nation’s fledgling democracy.
“However, as chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum,
elected by my colleagues to safeguard their integrity and that of the forum, it
has become imperative for me to request my brother and Governor Jang to remain
within the confines of decorum and cease to impersonate me and to stop parading
himself as NGF chairman. There is only one chairman of the forum, duly elected
by a vote tally of 19:16 on Thursday, May 23, 2013.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I as chairman of the NGF have
not called for any Governors’ Forum meeting for Monday, June 17, 2013. The only
meeting scheduled for Monday, June 16, is a meeting of all governors with
President Goodluck Jonathan, to hold at 9:p.m. at Aso Rock Villa. All governors
should please ensure attendance at this meeting with Mr. President.
“I wish to reassure my brother governors that this storm
shall pass and we all will be reunited as one family committed to our nation’s
unity and supporting Mr. President in his vision for a Nigeria that safeguards
the rights of all its citizens to good governance and democratic norms.
“Governor Jang is my brother and friend and I harbour no
ill-feelings for him, but it is important that he stops this impersonation, as
it is an ill-wind that threatens to spoil all the good work we all have done
together.
“May I remind Governor Jang that there is a legal action
that has been instituted against him by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos
State from parading himself as the chairman of NGF. As leaders elected by our
people, Nigerians are closely watching and monitoring, as such, we must comport
ourselves according the dictates and principles of democratic and lawful
practices and norms."
Amaechi had reemerged chairman of the forum, after he was
challenged in an election by Jang who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
consensus candidate in an exercise that ended 19 votes to Jang’s 16.
The exercise marked a turning point in the history of the
forum, as it was not only the first time that the body of governors would go to
the poll to elect its leadership but also that the outcome of the election had
since left the forum bitterly severed with the emergence of another group
claiming originality.
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