Hours to the election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the intrigues have not ceased to play out as no fewer than 23 governors have endorsed the decision to pick Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State as the consensus candidate.
Among the governors that endorsed Yuguda were all those of the Peoples’ Democratic Party excluding Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who is the incumbent chairman; Governors Peter Obi of Anambra State (All Progressive Grand Alliance) and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State (Labour Party).
The adoption of Yuguda as consensus candidate might lead Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State who had already picked up a form to contest the elections to be asked to withdraw from the election, leaving the election as a straight fight between Yuguda and Amaechi.
Sources say that a key factor that won so many endorsements for Yuguda was the decision of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) to withdraw their support for Amaechi over their annoyance with the NGF to issue a statement opposing the state of emergency without first consulting them.
According to sources, the NSGF members felt that the statement on such a critical issue as security should have taken into account their direct inputs, since the formation of NGF did not mean that each governor had lost his independence.
They expressed that anger by issuing another statement, welcoming the state of emergency as the earlier statement had dragged them into an unnecessary war with the Presidency.
“Members of the NSGF issued that statement welcoming the declaration of a state of emergency in the three states to show their anger at the statement by the NGF, which incidentally coincides with the opinion of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on the matter.
“They felt they were not carried along and that it could be a sign of more things to come,” a source said.
The source further stated that the statement by NGF was the main issue that drove northern governors away from Amaechi’s second term ambition as NGF chairman.
The coming to the race by Yuguda was said to have been at the instance of President Goodluck Jonathan who was said to have been shocked that Shema was not too keen about the position.
Shema’s opponents, it was learnt, were said to be spreading the information that the governor was being used by the Presidency to fight Vice-President Namadi Sambo, alleging that Shema might be used to replace the Vice-President in the 2015 election as Jonathan’s running mate.
Also, the anti-Amaechi group was said to be meeting at an undisclosed venue in Abuja on Thursday night
Sources close to the group said members were planning to either boycott the election or call for its postponement if it was clear that the election would not go in their favour.
If this plan fails, it was learnt that they might as well ask that a caretaker committee be put in place to conduct the election.
“But if that is done, it would fail because there is no such provision in the Forum’s constitution,” another source in the NGF secretariat told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, by the Northern Reconnaissance Group.
In the petition, which was signed by its President, Alhaji Idris Ahmed, the group asked the governors to follow their conscience while electing the chairman of the NGF.
The letter reads, “A majority of you have become victims of a vested interest and manipulative forces within the Presidency.
“You all have a choice to be your own men like you have always been in the North or you become puppets and little dumb kids like the lamb meant for the slaughter.
“In fact, retaining Amaechi is the only way our northern governors can retain their credibility as voting for Jonathan’s candidate will amount to a precipitous descent down the grease pole into the lonely crowd of yesterday’s men – in case you do not know.
“When we reach a sticky point such as this, it makes a strong case for the persistent calls for true federalism in which the centre does not wield overbearing power over the federating units.
“Would President Barack Obama of the United States interfere with the election of a forum like this in America?
“Even as the most powerful man on earth today, he cannot dream of doing anything remotely close to it. He and his aides know his limits and the laws do not allow him to overstep them.”
Ahmed said the alleged directive asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to go after any of the governors that would vote for Amaechi as chairman was in bad faith.
He said, “President Goodluck Jonathan is exerting absolute power by allegedly directing the EFCC to intimidate any member of the governors’ forum that does not vote against Governor Amaechi in the forum election.
“On this, we strongly believe that in a democratic society, people should be allowed to vote according to their conscience and freely.
“Not necessarily as they are instructed by the President because they are under a seeming oath of loyalty or fear of the EFCC. Indeed, these acts provide solid grounds for the public outcry about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Hours to the election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the intrigues have not ceased to play out as no fewer than 23 governors have endorsed the decision to pick Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State as the consensus candidate.
Among the governors that endorsed Yuguda were all those of the Peoples’ Democratic Party excluding Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who is the incumbent chairman; Governors Peter Obi of Anambra State (All Progressive Grand Alliance) and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State (Labour Party).
The adoption of Yuguda as consensus candidate might lead Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State who had already picked up a form to contest the elections to be asked to withdraw from the election, leaving the election as a straight fight between Yuguda and Amaechi.
Sources say that a key factor that won so many endorsements for Yuguda was the decision of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) to withdraw their support for Amaechi over their annoyance with the NGF to issue a statement opposing the state of emergency without first consulting them.
According to sources, the NSGF members felt that the statement on such a critical issue as security should have taken into account their direct inputs, since the formation of NGF did not mean that each governor had lost his independence.
They expressed that anger by issuing another statement, welcoming the state of emergency as the earlier statement had dragged them into an unnecessary war with the Presidency.
“Members of the NSGF issued that statement welcoming the declaration of a state of emergency in the three states to show their anger at the statement by the NGF, which incidentally coincides with the opinion of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on the matter.
“They felt they were not carried along and that it could be a sign of more things to come,” a source said.
The source further stated that the statement by NGF was the main issue that drove northern governors away from Amaechi’s second term ambition as NGF chairman.
The coming to the race by Yuguda was said to have been at the instance of President Goodluck Jonathan who was said to have been shocked that Shema was not too keen about the position.
Shema’s opponents, it was learnt, were said to be spreading the information that the governor was being used by the Presidency to fight Vice-President Namadi Sambo, alleging that Shema might be used to replace the Vice-President in the 2015 election as Jonathan’s running mate.
Also, the anti-Amaechi group was said to be meeting at an undisclosed venue in Abuja on Thursday night
Sources close to the group said members were planning to either boycott the election or call for its postponement if it was clear that the election would not go in their favour.
If this plan fails, it was learnt that they might as well ask that a caretaker committee be put in place to conduct the election.
“But if that is done, it would fail because there is no such provision in the Forum’s constitution,” another source in the NGF secretariat told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, by the Northern Reconnaissance Group.
In the petition, which was signed by its President, Alhaji Idris Ahmed, the group asked the governors to follow their conscience while electing the chairman of the NGF.
The letter reads, “A majority of you have become victims of a vested interest and manipulative forces within the Presidency.
“You all have a choice to be your own men like you have always been in the North or you become puppets and little dumb kids like the lamb meant for the slaughter.
“In fact, retaining Amaechi is the only way our northern governors can retain their credibility as voting for Jonathan’s candidate will amount to a precipitous descent down the grease pole into the lonely crowd of yesterday’s men – in case you do not know.
“When we reach a sticky point such as this, it makes a strong case for the persistent calls for true federalism in which the centre does not wield overbearing power over the federating units.
“Would President Barack Obama of the United States interfere with the election of a forum like this in America?
“Even as the most powerful man on earth today, he cannot dream of doing anything remotely close to it. He and his aides know his limits and the laws do not allow him to overstep them.”
Ahmed said the alleged directive asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to go after any of the governors that would vote for Amaechi as chairman was in bad faith.
He said, “President Goodluck Jonathan is exerting absolute power by allegedly directing the EFCC to intimidate any member of the governors’ forum that does not vote against Governor Amaechi in the forum election.
“On this, we strongly believe that in a democratic society, people should be allowed to vote according to their conscience and freely.
“Not necessarily as they are instructed by the President because they are under a seeming oath of loyalty or fear of the EFCC. Indeed, these acts provide solid grounds for the public outcry about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”
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