NGF ELECTION: PDP GOVS, OBI, MIMIKO ENDORSE YUGUDA •Shema to withdraw •Why Northern govs dumped Amaechi

Posted by admin Governors, Katsina, Rivers, State News Friday, May 24th, 2013

NO fewer than 23 governors, it was gathered on Thursday, have endorsed the decision to pick Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State as consensus chairmanship candidate for the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

Sources said though Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State had also indicated interest in the job, he would be asked to withdraw in favour of Yuguda at the end of the day.

It was also gathered that the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and his Anambra State counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, have also endorsed the choice of Yuguda.

Further details, however, emerged on Thursday as to the reasons behind the decision of Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) to reject the position of the NGF on the declaration of state of emergency in parts of the North.

It was also revealed that the same reasons had been adduced by members of the NGSF for their decision to withdraw their backing for the outgoing chairman of the NGF, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in his bid to secure a second term in office.

It was gathered in Abuja, on Thursday, that the statement issued by the NGF warning against the declaration of state of emergency by the Federal Government was without the input of the NSGF members and that many of them were angered by the development.

Some of the governors, especially from the North, felt that they were not consulted before the statement was issued and they were angry that their name was being dragged into an unnecessary war.

According to another source, 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.

Sources close to the NGF also told the Nigerian Tribune that the NSGF decided to show its anger at the earlier statement by the NGF, by issuing another statement last week, welcoming the state of emergency.

“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.
-Tribunewp_posts