A meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum took place at the Rivers Lodge Abuja today.At the end of the meeting,Chairman of the NGF Rotimi Amaechi said the election of a chairman has been postponed till May when the incumbent’s 2-year tenure will expire .
Today’s meeting had been dubbed very crucial as the governors were expected to take a position on whether or not to reelect Governor Amaechi as chairman of the Forum.
There has been high level political manoeuvring on the matter.Newsdiaryonline.com learnt that one of the very influential blocs in the group ,the Northern Governors’ Forum had taken a position on the issue ahead of this evening’s meeting.
Asked whether the northern governors will abandon Amaechi in the face of pressure from the party and the presidency, a source in the forum said “there is nothing like that,”implying that the governors will rally behind Amaechi.He listed three Northern governors that are in the forefront of the pro- Amaechi namely Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State,and Sule Lamido of Jigawa State.
But some politicians sympathetic to the presidency claimed Amaechi would be voted out. Yesterday, the PDP ostensibly under the influence of President Goodluck Jonathan created a splinter group in the governors’ forum with the formation of PDP Governors’ Forum after a meeting at the Presidential Villa Abuja in the night.Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State emerged as the PDPGF chairman .
President Jonathan is believed to be vehemently opposed to Amaechi’s growing political influence and he has been taking steps to whittle down his influence.Reports of a plot to make Amaechi a presidential running mate to Lamido in the 2015 race has further fuelled the antagonism against him by the president and his allies.
