Indications have emerged that the newly formed Governors’ Forum, under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, otherwise known as PDPGF may consider a pull out from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF. DailyPost had gathered that the new forum is considering the decision to pull out, possibly in their next meeting which has been scheduled to hold next week.
In the event of this, the PDP governors will make halt contributions to the NGF, and transfer such to the funding of the PDPGF.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio earlier in the week emerged as Chairman of the new body.
Sources say the idea of the new forum was initiated by the presidency, citing hostility of the NGF Chairman and Rivers State Governor, Chibuke Rotimi Amaechi, whose tenure ends in May.
Already, the party’s leadership has chosen Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema, as the next chairman. It is yet known, if the incumbent will re-contest.
Dailypost investigation revealed that the decision to appoint Akpabio as chairman of the PDPGF was to prevent Amaechi from seeking re-election. Both governors are from the South South.
The presidency had concluded plans to make Shema the chairman of the PDPGF after the attempt to remove Amaechi failed last week.
It later made a u-turn when it was discovered that the position of the chairman of NGF was restricted to the southern part of the country. A ground that would make it easy for Amaechi to return as governor in the opposition parties, were already willing to support him for another term.
An insider with a deep knowledge of the the party activities said that the NGF has become more of an opposition than the supporting role it’s supposed to play on behalf of the presidency.
“We are all guilty of the long silence within our fold. Initially, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum was a peer review point for all of us but at some points, some of us observed that it was becoming highly vulnerable to personal interests and the manipulation of the opposition parties in recent times.
“As colleagues, we have had to talk to ourselves but when things continued the way they were going, we had no choice than to take a decisive step to set up our own body which is the PDP Governors’ Forum.
“In truth, we are interested in splitting the NGF as being insinuated in some quarters, but the truth is always the truth. For instance, it is not possible for us to have a South South man as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and allow another from the same region to head the NGF.
“But we are oblivious of what is going on in certain quarters. If by May, we, I mean the NGF, go ahead to concede the two positions to the South South by the support of the opposition parties, we will have no option than to opt out of the parent group and concentrate on how to make the PDP Governors Forum more effective and productive devoid of personal interests and ambitions,” he said.
Comments