‘’After an exhaustive deliberation of the issues regarding filling vacant positions, the forum resolved that election in this regard be postponed until May when the Chairman’s initial two-year tenure will expire.’’
That was Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the embattled Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, reading from the two paragraph communiqué that staved off the moves by President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists in the enlarged Forum of 36 states’ governors in the country to unseat him.
It was a temporary relief secured for the Rivers State governor by
his sympathizers in the forum, as those agitating for his removal were in the minority and could not secure the simple majority needed to remove Amaechi as Chairman.
Before the failed coup of last Monday, the Presidency had succeeded in creating an alternative platform, the PDP Governors’ Forum with Governor Godswill Akpabio as Chairman. It was the success recorded with the ‘election’ of Governor Akpabio at the Presidential Villa that emboldened the foot soldiers of President Jonathan to go for the final kill- a macabre move that was spurned by a sizeable number of PDP
governors and those from the opposition parties.
Even as the Presidency denied that it had nothing to do with the
orchestrated move to remove Amaechi as Chairman of the NGF, discerning PDP faithful were not bemused at the turn of events between Governor Amaechi and President Jonathan.
Amaechi’s many sins
Sunday Sun findings revealed that the Presidency has not been
comfortable with the Rivers State governor’s leadership style as
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum as he has been accused of combative posturing on sensitive issues.
One of such which has put the federal government and the 36 states on war path is the management of the Excess Crude Account by the Presidency. The deduction from the Federation Account without recourse to states has been viewed as an affront on fiscal federalism and the states’ governors under the aegis of NGF had instituted a case at the Supreme Court to challenge the federal government.
An out of court settlement move by the Presidency had collapsed as the NGF under Governor Amaechi accused federal government of insecurity in its trouble shooting initiative. At its meeting held on Monday, January 28, 2013, the governors gave indications that talks between it and the Presidency was not yielding positive result and ‘’resolved to take no further adjournments in the subsisting case in court, but seek a final resolution of the matter from the Supreme Court.”
Amaechi, who read the communiqué of the governors after a rigorous meeting had said: “We, the governors of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at our first meeting of the year held today, Monday, January 28, 2013 at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, deliberated over a number of issues.
“Forum decries the present attitude of the Federal Government on the Excess Crude Account and resolved to take no further adjournments in the subsisting case in court but seek a final resolution of the matter from the Supreme Court’’.
A Sunday Sun source revealed that loyalists of President Jonathan
among the governors when sounded out by the Presidency over such resolutions that it was not comfortable with Governor Amaechi often absolved themselves and accused him of always listening to the views of opposition parties governors’ at enlarged session of the NGF.
The Chairman of the newly created PDP Governors’ Forum, Barrister Godswill Akpabio spoke in similar vein on Tuesday during his courtesy visit to the PDP national leadership.
Akpabio expressed concern that the NGF was being turned into a trade union against the Federal Government by some of his colleagues he dismissed as Judases.
His remarks: What the PDP is trying to do now is to cleanse its house, to try to identify the ones they called Judas and whisper it to them and said go out, the train is moving and you cannot stand, otherwise we will crush you. That’s the new PDP; it isn’t to challenge the Nigeria Governors Forum, but to strengthen it.
We will not allow minorities to impose their ideas on us the majority. We will not allow NGF to be seen as a trade union to fight government. We cannot be fighting the Federal Government, we are part of the Federal Government. Our job is to work with the Federal Government to initiate best policies for the interest of Nigerians.”
Diatribe over Rivers Oil well
The boundary dispute between Bayelsa and Rivers State and the decision taken by the Federal Government ceding some oil wells to Bayelsa State have also worsened the frosty relationship between Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and President Jonathan.
Oil wells and Gas Plant in Soku, a Kalabari town in Rivers State was last November ceded to Bayelsa State. Coming after the loss of about 46 oil wells to Abia State and unconfirmed report to also cede another 71 oil wells in Abonnema (headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State to Bayelsa State, the Kalabari people had stormed Abuja with a vow to resist the ceding of five oil wells in Soku to Bayelsa.
Governor Amaechi had denied involvement in the Abuja protest which the Presidency latter viewed as orchestrated to embarrass it. But he also attributed the Federal Government action over ceding of oil wells as part of the design to emasculate Rivers State over his purported presidential ambition.
“There is rumour that they are emasculating me because of 2015. It is unfortunate. It is a non-issue. For now, I have no plan for 2015. I was shocked to hear of Lamido/Amaechi 2015 campaign, with branded vehicles in the North and many people are panicky.
“I am exhausted. I have not attended any 2015 meeting. If they are taking Rivers oil wells because of 2015, they should leave us alone.
“If I am not the NGF chairman, I would have known what to say. As a people (Rivers) with one destiny, we will fight for our rights. Rivers people are happy with President Jonathan.”
2015: Ambition becomes a crime
Among the PDP governors, three have been mentioned of nursing ambition in 2015. There have been unconfirmed reports of a Lamido/Amaechi ticket that would see the Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido as presidential candidate while Governor Amaechi would emerge as running mate. Both governors have denied that such plan exists.
But while Lamido and Amaechi have consistently denied any interest in the PDP presidential ticket, Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu has been testing the waters. At a recent media interview, Governor Babangida Aliyu has declared that it would be immoral for President Jonathan to seek the PDP ticket in 2015, claiming that he actually sealed a pact with the PDP governors in 2010, committing himself to a single term.
A Sunday Sun source at the PDP national secretariat revealed that a chieftain of the party from South-South zone who was also a former Minister was the architect of the hatchet job to unseat Amaechi and supplant the NGF.
“The formation of PDP Governors Forum was his idea. He has assured Mr. President that picking the party’s presidential ticket would not be difficult once Mr. President can install his loyalist. The plan is to ensure that the PDP governors using the new platform, the PDP Governors Forum would proclaim President Jonathan as their adopted candidate for the 2015 presidential ticket. The coast is now clear,” Sunday Sun source added.
The import of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s message that President Jonathan could now sleep well with the creation of PDP Governors’ Forum was not lost on party faithful present.
While playing host to the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Barrister Godswill Akpabio in company of his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson, last Tuesday, an excited Tukur has thanked Governor Akpabio for his loyalty to the party and consistent support.
“With your support and understanding, I can tell Mr. President that, ‘if you have been sleeping for three hours, you can now sleep well. In fact, you can even take a siesta
source: the sun
That was Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the embattled Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, reading from the two paragraph communiqué that staved off the moves by President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists in the enlarged Forum of 36 states’ governors in the country to unseat him.
It was a temporary relief secured for the Rivers State governor by
his sympathizers in the forum, as those agitating for his removal were in the minority and could not secure the simple majority needed to remove Amaechi as Chairman.
Before the failed coup of last Monday, the Presidency had succeeded in creating an alternative platform, the PDP Governors’ Forum with Governor Godswill Akpabio as Chairman. It was the success recorded with the ‘election’ of Governor Akpabio at the Presidential Villa that emboldened the foot soldiers of President Jonathan to go for the final kill- a macabre move that was spurned by a sizeable number of PDP
governors and those from the opposition parties.
Even as the Presidency denied that it had nothing to do with the
orchestrated move to remove Amaechi as Chairman of the NGF, discerning PDP faithful were not bemused at the turn of events between Governor Amaechi and President Jonathan.
Amaechi’s many sins
Sunday Sun findings revealed that the Presidency has not been
comfortable with the Rivers State governor’s leadership style as
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum as he has been accused of combative posturing on sensitive issues.
One of such which has put the federal government and the 36 states on war path is the management of the Excess Crude Account by the Presidency. The deduction from the Federation Account without recourse to states has been viewed as an affront on fiscal federalism and the states’ governors under the aegis of NGF had instituted a case at the Supreme Court to challenge the federal government.
An out of court settlement move by the Presidency had collapsed as the NGF under Governor Amaechi accused federal government of insecurity in its trouble shooting initiative. At its meeting held on Monday, January 28, 2013, the governors gave indications that talks between it and the Presidency was not yielding positive result and ‘’resolved to take no further adjournments in the subsisting case in court, but seek a final resolution of the matter from the Supreme Court.”
Amaechi, who read the communiqué of the governors after a rigorous meeting had said: “We, the governors of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at our first meeting of the year held today, Monday, January 28, 2013 at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, deliberated over a number of issues.
“Forum decries the present attitude of the Federal Government on the Excess Crude Account and resolved to take no further adjournments in the subsisting case in court but seek a final resolution of the matter from the Supreme Court’’.
A Sunday Sun source revealed that loyalists of President Jonathan
among the governors when sounded out by the Presidency over such resolutions that it was not comfortable with Governor Amaechi often absolved themselves and accused him of always listening to the views of opposition parties governors’ at enlarged session of the NGF.
The Chairman of the newly created PDP Governors’ Forum, Barrister Godswill Akpabio spoke in similar vein on Tuesday during his courtesy visit to the PDP national leadership.
Akpabio expressed concern that the NGF was being turned into a trade union against the Federal Government by some of his colleagues he dismissed as Judases.
His remarks: What the PDP is trying to do now is to cleanse its house, to try to identify the ones they called Judas and whisper it to them and said go out, the train is moving and you cannot stand, otherwise we will crush you. That’s the new PDP; it isn’t to challenge the Nigeria Governors Forum, but to strengthen it.
We will not allow minorities to impose their ideas on us the majority. We will not allow NGF to be seen as a trade union to fight government. We cannot be fighting the Federal Government, we are part of the Federal Government. Our job is to work with the Federal Government to initiate best policies for the interest of Nigerians.”
Diatribe over Rivers Oil well
The boundary dispute between Bayelsa and Rivers State and the decision taken by the Federal Government ceding some oil wells to Bayelsa State have also worsened the frosty relationship between Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and President Jonathan.
Oil wells and Gas Plant in Soku, a Kalabari town in Rivers State was last November ceded to Bayelsa State. Coming after the loss of about 46 oil wells to Abia State and unconfirmed report to also cede another 71 oil wells in Abonnema (headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State to Bayelsa State, the Kalabari people had stormed Abuja with a vow to resist the ceding of five oil wells in Soku to Bayelsa.
Governor Amaechi had denied involvement in the Abuja protest which the Presidency latter viewed as orchestrated to embarrass it. But he also attributed the Federal Government action over ceding of oil wells as part of the design to emasculate Rivers State over his purported presidential ambition.
“There is rumour that they are emasculating me because of 2015. It is unfortunate. It is a non-issue. For now, I have no plan for 2015. I was shocked to hear of Lamido/Amaechi 2015 campaign, with branded vehicles in the North and many people are panicky.
“I am exhausted. I have not attended any 2015 meeting. If they are taking Rivers oil wells because of 2015, they should leave us alone.
“If I am not the NGF chairman, I would have known what to say. As a people (Rivers) with one destiny, we will fight for our rights. Rivers people are happy with President Jonathan.”
2015: Ambition becomes a crime
Among the PDP governors, three have been mentioned of nursing ambition in 2015. There have been unconfirmed reports of a Lamido/Amaechi ticket that would see the Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido as presidential candidate while Governor Amaechi would emerge as running mate. Both governors have denied that such plan exists.
But while Lamido and Amaechi have consistently denied any interest in the PDP presidential ticket, Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu has been testing the waters. At a recent media interview, Governor Babangida Aliyu has declared that it would be immoral for President Jonathan to seek the PDP ticket in 2015, claiming that he actually sealed a pact with the PDP governors in 2010, committing himself to a single term.
A Sunday Sun source at the PDP national secretariat revealed that a chieftain of the party from South-South zone who was also a former Minister was the architect of the hatchet job to unseat Amaechi and supplant the NGF.
“The formation of PDP Governors Forum was his idea. He has assured Mr. President that picking the party’s presidential ticket would not be difficult once Mr. President can install his loyalist. The plan is to ensure that the PDP governors using the new platform, the PDP Governors Forum would proclaim President Jonathan as their adopted candidate for the 2015 presidential ticket. The coast is now clear,” Sunday Sun source added.
The import of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s message that President Jonathan could now sleep well with the creation of PDP Governors’ Forum was not lost on party faithful present.
While playing host to the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Barrister Godswill Akpabio in company of his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson, last Tuesday, an excited Tukur has thanked Governor Akpabio for his loyalty to the party and consistent support.
“With your support and understanding, I can tell Mr. President that, ‘if you have been sleeping for three hours, you can now sleep well. In fact, you can even take a siesta
source: the sun
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