Governor Godwin Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State: Akpabio leads Jonathan’s battle against Amaechi
NGF Election: Akpabio To Lead Jonathan’s Battle Against Amaechi
Less
than 24 hours after he emerged as the Chairman of People Democratic
Governors Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is to lead
the battle being orchestrated by the Presidency to remove Rivers State
Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum,
NGF.
The election is slated for Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.
Akpabio
was elected as the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum during a meeting
held in Aso Rock Presidential Villa which lasted several hours on Sunday
night.
The meeting was attended by governors elected on the platform of PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan.
The formation of the PDP Governors’ Forum, many believe, was a ploy to whittle down the influence of the NGF.
Also,
the choice of Akpabio, a supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan, it
was gathered, was to ensure a permanent end to the activities of NGF
that the Presidency has been uncomfortable with in recent times.
P.M.NEWS
gathered that the Akwa Ibom State Governor, will be expected to rally
his PDP colleagues who are in clear majority in NGF against decisions
perceived as antagonistic to President Jonathan.
Rotimi Amaechi,
the Rivers State Governor, has been having a running battle with
supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan over accusation that he is
using the NGF Forum to warm his way into the hearts of Nigerians ahead
of 2015 presidential elections.
Though Amaechi has not been
definitive on whether he will contest the presidency in the next general
elections, there have been rumours that he is considering running
alongside Governor Sule Lamido of Adamawa State.
The Presidency,
it was gathered, has also not been comfortable with the way the Rivers
State Governor has taken up the battle against the continuing maintenace
of excess crude account, how the sovereign wealth fund account is
operated and unaccounted for deductions of trillions for the payment of
petroleum subsidy since he became the chairman of NGF. This is coming
despite the fact that the Rivers State Governor has always defended
himself, asserting that his actions are as directed by his colleagues.
Akpabio
is, therefore, expected to use his new position to rally all the PDP
Governors against the re-election of Amaechi as the 36 Governors gather
in Abuja for the election of the NGF chairman.
Similar attempts
to remove Amaechi last Wednesday championed by three governors,
including Akpabio failed as they were opposed by their colleagues.
P.M.NEWS
gathered that it may also be a tough job getting others to support the
move to sack Amaechi today as the majority of the governors seem to be
in support of his stay in office.
Some of the governors are
particularly said to be against the change of leadership of the forum as
it is being engineered from outside.
Apart from governors elected
on the platform of opposition parties, PDP Governors such as Aliyu
Wamakko of Sokoto, Usman Dakingari of Kebbi, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Musa
Kwankwanso of Kano and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State are all said to
be in favour of returning Amaechi as the chairman of NGF.
Others said to be in support of Amaechi include the governors of Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe.
It
was, however, gathered that Jonathan supporters are considering the
option of sponsoring Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State to contest
against Amaechi to break the ranks of governors supporting the Rivers
State governor.
Other governors that are said to be against
Amaechi’s re-election include Alhaji Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State and
Alhaji Ramalan Yero of Kaduna.
—Oluokun Ayorinde/Abuja
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