AMAECHI: I WON’T STEP DOWN AS NGF CHAIR The crisis in the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) is not showing any sign of abating even with the intervention Tuesday night of former President Olusegun Obansanjo. The principal figures in the conflict, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and his Plateau counterpart Jonah Jang, are each staking claim to the leadership of the forum. The latest mediation effort spearheaded by Obasanjo is said to be prodding the two to step down for a neutral person. But Amaechi said yesterday he will not resign. Rivers Commissioner for Information Ibim Semenetari told Daily Trust yesterday that Amaechi won’t step down as chairman of the forum. “To the best of my knowledge nobody has approached the governor to step down for anybody as chairman of NGF, so the governor is not stepping down as he was freely given a mandate to head the NGF,” she said. Director of press in the Plateau State Government House James Mannok when contacted said the Plateau government would not comment on a process that had not been concluded. “We will not comment on a process that is still ongoing,” he stated. Obasanjo Tuesday night, met with governors over the lingering crisis in the NGF and it was suggested that the two camps be dissolved to make for a fresh election where a new chairman would emerge. The names of Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina were suggested as likely replacements. The NGF has been enmeshed in crisis since its last election where Governor Amaechi scored 19 votes while Jang scored 16. But Jang is insisting he is the chairman of the forum as he said he was adopted through a consensus arrangement. Sources at in Rivers State said Governor Amaechi will not agree to the option of stepping down as he sees the arrangement as part of a ploy to please the Presidency and weaken his political base since 20 governors are on his side compared to the 16 that are on the side of Jang. He said moreover those touted as likely replacement are governors who have openly shown they were on the side of Jang and cannot be said to be neutral. -DAILY TRUST
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 05:50:02 +0000
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