A mild drama ensued at the bi-monthly National Executive Council (NEC) which held in Abuja on Thursday as the crisis rocking the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) was taken to the meeting with the NGF factional chairman and River State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, telling his Plateau State counterpart and contender for the chairmanship, Jonah Jang, that he was the authentic chairman.
Protocol officers responsible for the sitting arrangement at the Council chamber, venue of the meeting presided by Vice President Namadi Sambo, had positioned Amaechi beside Jonah Jang.
Hitherto, the NGF Chairman is supposed to sit next to Sambo who is the head of NEC but the arrangement had to be altered in an alphabetical order for the first time such that the Plateau State governor and his Rivers State counterpart had to sit close to each other as there was no recognition of anybody as the NGF chairman because of the ongoing crisis.
And when Amaechi got in and discovered that he was to sit near his rival, Jang, Niger State governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, tried taunting him, saying “So you are going to sit with Jang. This is very nice oh. Somebody is trying to be diplomatic here.”
But Amaechi promptly replied: “We are still together. So, I am going to sit with him.” And when Jang came, exchanging pleasantries with all, including Amaechi, as he took his seat, the River State governor simply told him: “You are welcome, I am the authentic chairman.”
Jang, who felt so embarrassed and was speechless, was further taunted by Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who held him as he pointed to Amaechi, “that is my chairman”, with the whole house bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
The meeting later started at 11: 15am when the Vice President walked in.
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