Govs at war again as factional group meets next week, to confirm Mimiko as Chairman

STRONG indications emerged yesterday that the crisis which rocked the family of the thirty- six state governors under the aegis, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF during former President Goodluck Jonathan was set to continue as the factional group which was loyal to former governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has fixed a meeting for next week.

The factional group which will have its first meeting next week, would confirm Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state as the new Chairman of the forum.

Speaking to Vanguard on the development, the coordinator of the forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwu who noted that there have been informal meetings where about nine of the governors zeroed in on Governor Mimiko as the new Chairman of the forum, stressed that an earlier meeting scheduled for this week was shelved as the governors were engaged in the negotiations and horse-trading with regard to the elections of the new leadership of the national assembly.

Asked if other governors were not interested in leading the forum, the PDP Governors’ Forum coordinator said the meeting would determine if there was such interest, adding, “Am aware that about nine of them have already thrown their support behind Mimiko to lead the forum, because they said they want very steady and organised hands now that the PDP is in opposition.”

The factional meeting is coming barely twenty- six days after the meeting of the NGF was held in Abuja with former Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom who were at the centre of the crisis at the meeting, an indication that they have all buried the hatchet and prepared to work together as one body.

The governors, made up of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP met last month at the Lagos/ Osun Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja and it was the first of its kind since 2013 when they fell out, just governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State was elected the Chairman of the forum and he took over from Rotimi Amaechi.

Present at the said meeting were former governors Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger; Ramallan Yero of Kaduna; Saidu Dankigari of Kebbi; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo; Rauf Aregbosola of Osun; Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano; Kashim Shettima of Borno; Abiola Ajimobi; Emmanauel Udom of Akwa Ibom; Deputy governor of Kogi, Yomi Awoniyi; Deputy governor of Nasarawa State and Deputy governor of Imo State.

It will be recalled that since governor of Rivers State and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, NGF, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was re-elected as Chairman of the Forum in May 2013 where he polled 19 votes to defeat governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, the only governor who contested with him to score 16, all was not well with the forum until what appeared to be a reconciliation meeting last month.

It would be recalled that Amaechi who chaired one of the factions, was first elected Chairman of NGF in 2011 when he took over from former Kwara State governor and now President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum which was established to among others, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas, help strengthen and promote Nigeria’s federal system and promote understanding among governors and States, is the umbrella body of all the thirty-six state governors of the federation.