Governors demand urgent NEC meeting information and news

Governors sympathetic to suspended Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi yesterday demanded that the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, be held immediately.

The governors have also sworn that nobody will frustrate them out of the party, warning that only the party’s NEC can suspend a governor, who incidentally is a member of the party’s Board of Trustees. PDP’s NEC is constitutionally required to hold every quarter of the year but in the 14 months of Bamanga Tukur-led leadership, the meeting has been held only once.

President Goodluck Jonathan, National Mirror learnt, summoned the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party to the Presidential Villa over the rancorous situation in the party, particularly the suspension of Amaechi.

Governors Amaechi, Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), and Abdullfatah Ahmed (Kwara) are believed to be under intense heat from the party over their roles at the just concluded election of the NGF with sanction hanging on their necks.

A source from the new secretariat of the pro-Jonathan NGF said that the governors had officially notified the NWC of the party to immediately convene the NEC meeting or they might be forced to approach the court over the leadership’s violation of the party’s constitution.

He said: “There is nothing like pro-Amaechi Group. All the PDP governors are loyal to the party and its leadership and the claim that the party chose Governor Jonah Jang holds no water as no such information was officially communicated to the governors.

“The governors have all the same directed that a letter demanding for the immediate meeting of NEC because it is believed that some excesses and obvious illegality on the part of the party leadership will be addressed.

“The governors have also warned that nobody will frustrate them out of the party. They also said that they will be meeting with the President in a week’s time to formally report the victmisation from the leadership of the party.” Amaechi was suspended by the party for “anti-party activities” three days after he was re-elected as the NGF chairman.

But the party said his suspension had nothing to do with the outcome of the NGF election. It said he was sanctioned because of the petition by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee which accused the governor of allegedly violating some sections of the party’s constitution.

President Jonathan yesterday in company of Tukur was in Niger State to commission some projects of the leader of pro-Amaechi group, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

It was believed that the President must have started wadding into the crisis, hence the summoning of the NWC members to the Presidential Villa. But Amaechi said that he and the people of Rivers State could not be intimidated, even as he said that he had handed over the PDP to God.

Amechi, who was addressing an inter-party summit with the theme, “Cohesive inter-party relations as a panacea for peace and sustainable development in Rivers State”, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, called on the people of the state to start mobilising others, regardless of their party affiliation.

He said: “If you listened to me yesterday (Monday) when I was addressing Rivers youths, I told them ‘all those from 18 and above should please get up’ and they got up.

I asked them to sit down, they did and I asked again, ‘all those that have voters’ card should please get up’ and a lot of them did and I said we shall punish irresponsible politicians with our cards. “So what I expect from all of you whether you belong to APC, CPC, wherever you belong to, start now to mobilise the state for one man, one vote.

We will not allow them intimidate us with police or anything. Instead, we shall intimidate them with our votes. The keynote speaker at the occasion and Chairman of the of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Magnus Abe urged politicians in the state to preserve and not destroy Rivers State by their actions.

Also the chairman of the occasion and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Karibi Whyte, urged political parties to believe in and mean well for the country they serve. He also tasked politicians to uphold the truth and justify and accept fairness.

He said: “I believe truth must be upheld, fairness must be justified and accepted and those who think that it is enough to conspire against truth have to be exposed”.

“We are talking about governor, the office of the governor. We admire the governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi because of his performance. We follow him because of his performance, we’ll do everything to ensure that he succeeds and the institution still carries on”.

He criticised those plotting against Amaechi, accusing them of conspiracy and having destructive motive. The Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, described the suspension of Amaechi as political terrorism.

The bishop, who frowned at the controvery that had accompanied the fallout of the NGF expressed fear that some people were out to destroy the country at all cost. Ajakaye, in a statement in Ado Ekiti yesterday entitled: “NGF Elections Between 19 Governors and 16 Governors, 16 Claiming Majority”, said the controversy trailing the emergence of Governor Amaechi was unfortunate.

He described the position of the group of 16 governors against Amaechi as “individuals who act before thinking, instead of thinking before acting.”

The bishop said: “Now, 16 as a figure has become the majority and 19 is the minority. This type of thing can only happen in Nigeria. Indeed, this is crisis of credibility. What legacy are we bequeathing to our children?”

“Amaechi has been suspended for his courage, popularity among his peers and for winning an election. Is this the way to celebrate democracy in Nigeria? Really, this is a practical example of politics of terrorism, politics of rascality.”

According to him, the PDP was wrong to have treated the governor the way it did since Amaechi had the fundamental human rights to seek re-election as chairman of NGF. The bishop also expressed fear that some people had plotted to destroy the country.

He said: “Nigeria belongs to all of us and nothing should be done by any group or individuals to destroy our heritage. “Jang is even being congratulated on the pages of the newspapers.

He is being ‘celebrated’ and he even organised a thanksgiving service to celebrate his ‘victory’. Nigeria and Nigerians! We should learn to face the realities rather than chasing the shadows.”

Meanwhile, in Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam, who is on the side of Governor Jang, said that the chairmanship of NGF is by endorsement through consensus arrangement, which is respected by all members.

The governor, while featuring on the pre-democracy celebration phone-in-programme by ‘Radio Benue’ monitored in Makurdi said that the forum is a voluntary association.

He said that any governor can opt out of the forum. “And for the sake of clarity, other governors like former Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki, enjoyed the slot of its chairman by consensus and others too benefited from this gentleman agreement,” he said.

He stressed that Amaechi, out of desperation, printed ballot papers and other voting materials and insisted that formal election must be conducted; a move he said was alien to the forum.

“Nineteen of us earlier met and endorsed Governor Jonah Jang to be chairman of the forum and it is on the premise of that that we have accorded loyalty and honour as well as recognition to Jang as our leader,” he added.

However, the President Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria CRCN, Mallam Shehu Sani, yesterday called on Jang to stop parading himself as chairman of NGF. In an emailed statement sent by CRCN president, Sani maintained that Jang, who failed to restore peace and unity in his home state, has nothing to offer the governors’ forum.

Sani, while calling on Nigerians to recognise Governor Amaechi as the Chairman of NGF said those with Governor Jang are living in a world of imagination, deceiving and misleading themselves. The statement reads in part: “Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State should stop parading himself as the chairman of NGF.

The outing and posturing of the governor is unbecoming of a state Chief Executive. It’s unfortunate that a man of his age has chosen to play the role of a devil’s advocate and an agent provocateur.

“Governor Jang is heading a fake forum of quislings, choristers, losers and stooges. The very Jang that is unable restore peace and foster unity in his state has nothing to offer in the Governors Forum. He has elevated his belligerent tendencies and penchant for disharmony and disunity to the national level.”

Also reacting, the Alumni Association of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has carpeted the 36 state governors for their inability to conduct free and fair election involving just 35 voters, saying their ongoing post-election rancour is unhealthy for the polity.

In a related development, the Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu has pledged total loyalty and support to the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and the PDP.

He also urged those that feel he has issues with the President to go and bury themselves. Aliyu, who made the pledge at the ground breaking ceremony of the 700 MW multi billion naira, Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant Project in Wushishi local government area of the state, yesterday said, he is still a member of the PDP family, despite the perception of many that he is leaving the party.