NGF crisis: PDP’s reconciliatory moves of necessity by TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE on Aug 17, 2013 | No comments Posted under: Politics   0  0  0  0 If the ongoing reconciliation move among Nigerian governors is anything to go by, the leadership crisis in the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), may soon be a thing of the past. In the last few days several efforts are being made by the governors and some stakeholders, including President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to end the leadership tussle between Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State in the NGF. The relationship among the governors have become frosty following the emergence of two separate chairmen during the Friday May 24 NGF chairmanship election held in Abuja. During the election, 19 members voted to give Amaechi a second term while 16 others cast their votes in support of Jang. However, despite Amaechi’s victory, those in support of the Pleateau State governor refused to acknowledge the victory of his Rivers State counterpart. The disagreement between the two camps eventually led to a factionalisation of the forum. As a result, Amaechi and Jang have since been parading themselves respectively as NGF chairman and running the affairs of the forum from different secretariats. Although Governor Amaechi seems to gain public support and acceptance as the NGF chairman, the Jang-led faction appears backed by the presidency and the faction has met President Goodluck Jonathan on some occasion. The president has also, at different occasions, shown his recognition of Governor Jang as chairman of the NGF. Since the election the two factions have been meeting separately. Whenever Governor Jang called a meeting, Governor Amaechi always instructed his supporters not to attend. Ditto Jang’s faction. Both factions have also engaged in diatribe on different occasion, particularly, challenging one another over the leadership of NGF. Apparently worried about how the NGF crisis has been heating up the polity and the need for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to unite before the 2015 general elections, the Jang-led faction decided it was necessary to urgently call a truce. At a meeting held in Abuja by the faction of the NGF on Sunday, with seven governors and six deputy governors in attendance, the governors expressed their willingness to ensure peace. Speaking to journalists before the end of the meeting, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDPGF), and Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, said that reconciliation among the governors was overdue. He noted that all the governors should be seen to be working together under one umbrella. His words: “We are going to reconcile. We need to work together as a team. We, all the governors, are going to reconcile and come together under one umbrella. We believe that all governors should come together so that we can positively impact on Nigerians.” One of the arrow heads of the Jonah Jang-led NGF faction, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also told journalists that there was need to put a stop to the factionalisation of NGF. “We need to settle down and settle our differences. It is not portraying us in good light before Nigerians and the international community. We need to put a stop to the factionalisation of the forum,” he said. According to a reliable source, the need for peace among the governors, especially the PDP governors, was borne out of the belief that the factionalisation in NGF might affect the fortune of the ruling PDP and injure the 2015 ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan if urgent steps were not taken to reconcile the governors. It is believed that the opposition had been exploiting the division in the NGF by romancing with some of the PDP key governors, who are majorly in Amaechi’s camp. The development, if allowed to continue, especially with the emergence of the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC) may lead to the collapse of PDP before 2015 if not properly checked, some have also reasoned. In order to prevent a monumental havoc to be wreaked on the ruling party, the Jang-led faction has therefore deemed it necessary to ensure peace. Although the Amaechi-led faction mem-bers boycotted the NGF meeting called by Governor Jang on Sunday, it appeared not to have foreclosed the possibility of reconciliation between the two factions. To show their seriousness toward the reconciliation, some of the PDP governors from the two factions have, between Sunday and Tuesday, met with President Jonathan and Obasanjo for fence-mending meetings and fine-tuning of the reconciliation move. Prior to the various meetings that took place between Sunday and Tuesday there have been several peace moves to reconcile the governors with President Jonathan even meeting with some of the aggrieved governors, including Governor Amaechi, individually. On June 27, during a National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the two factional NGF chairmen were made to sit sideby- side in the new sitting arrangement for attendees. Amaechi and Jang according to the alphabetical sitting arrangement were made to sit side-by-side on the right side of the Vice-President. During the meeting a drama ensued between Jang and Amaechi and other governors as they exchanged banters with one another over the crisis. While the banter that pervaded the beginning of the NEC meeting could be considered as a psychological warfare, analyst regarded the meeting as an event to prepare the ground for a possible reconciliation among the governors. A number of events have unfolded after the meeting and today, it is apparent that efforts are being made to ensure that frayed nerves are calmed and genuine peace returns to the NGF. It would be recalled that two days after the mild drama, President Jonathan and Governor Amaechi, who had not been relating well for several months engaged in a public show of affection as they shook hands and embraced each other on June 29 in Port Harcourt. President Jonathan on July 27 also had a secret meeting with Amaechi and five PDP governors, who had been in consultation across the country in a bid to restore normalcy to the PDP. The five governors are Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger ), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso(Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto). To political analysts, the reconciliation is a good move but some people seem to be divided over what would be its final outcome. While some believe that the reconciliation will see the light of the day, some are of the view that it may be difficult for all the parties involved to accept the terms raised at the negotiation table. According to a reliable source, based on the outcome of some of the meetings that took place this week, there is a strong indication that both Amaechi and Jang may be asked to step down for another neutral candidate to emerge as NGF chairman for peace to return, and in the interest of the PDP. But the two governors seem not to buy the idea. None of them appears ready to step down for the other. Political analysts are of the view that while it may be easy for Governor Jang to step down since his emergence as NGF chairman was controversial and tied to the apron string of the presidency and PDP leadership, the same cannot be said of Governor Amaechi, who was duly elected and won the NGF chairmanship election with 19 votes against 16. It is also believed that it may be difficult for Amaechi to step down because of the various factors that led to his re-election and some of the sacrifices he and other governors in his faction had made in the cause of the NGF crisis. Speaking with State House Correspondents after his meeting with President Jonathan on Wednesday, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State insisted that the election that produced Amaechi must stay, adding that Governor Jang could not lead the governors’ forum. His words: “In democracy, when you have an issue, you discuss. The election in the governors’ forum has become an issue. It shouldn’t be an issue. If one group got 19 votes the other one got 16, in democracy, even in the eyes of the people in elementary school, they know that 19 is higher than 16. It should not be turned into a controversy. “You are saying Jang should step down, step down for what? Did he win the election? What we are saying here is that if he (Jang) is going to step down because he is second winner, then that is their business and it is not the business of others or the winner to tell him to step down. He is number two, he got the second highest votes and that is the way forward.” Governor Nyako also noted that the NGF needed a chairman that would protect the interest of its members and Nigerians in general. “We have already in the governors’ forum established certain criteria for leadership within us. He must be somebody we trust. I would like to have a leader of the forum who when he is with the president in the small room talking about Adamawa State can put in a word for Adamawa State. It should not be someone who will aggravate issues in the eyes of Mr. President. “The other one we feel is that he should add some value to Mr. President. If you have a forum leader who is seen to be part of the president, that has become a yes man of Mr. President, then the governors will say he is not representing our interests. If he is not representing the interest of the governors he is not representing the interests of the ordinary Nigerians. These are areas we have sorted out,” he said. Some people are of the view that any attempt by Governor Amaechi to step down may be seen as a sign of betrayal to some governors, especially the APC governors on whose back Amaechi rode to power. If not for the support of the 11 opposition governors, it would have been difficult for Amaechi to defeat Jang. The APC governors’ voices are presently recognised in NGF and taking the NGF chairmanship from Amaechi may not be in the good interest of the opposition party governors. Attesting to the fact that the APC governors will determine Amaechi’s next line of action, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semanitari, said his boss would not hesitate to yield to the opinion of the governors that voted him as their chairman. “Everybody who knows Amaechi knows that he does defend democratic principles. If all of the governors, especially the governors who voted for Governor Amaechi, ask him to step down, that would mean that the majority of the governors have decided that there should be a new chairman. Naturally, he would concede to his colleagues. But today, that is not the case,” she said. Irrespective of the move being taken by PDP to reconcile all its governors, the opposition parties having benefitted immensely from the PDP and NGF crises, definitely will not want the PDP governors to reconcile and they may possibly do everything within their power to ensure that the ongoing reconciliation does not see the light of the day. Considering the reality that the PDP needs to be united to continue to succeed, especially in coming elections, the party would possibly do everything within its power to unite all its governors before the 2015 elections. Speaking to journalists after his meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, Governor Akpabio said the series of high-level meetings among the governors and the stakeholders would bring about a positive result. His words: “All the steps being taken at the moment are in the right direction to ensure cohesion and bring back all the party faithful; particularly the body of governors will come together to work as one for the interest of Nigeria and the interest of the PDP. “I know that all the governors of the PDP are working towards the success party. One thing I can assure you is that there is jittery in the camp of the opposition with the meetings of the PDP governors.” As the reconciliation moves continue, the questions on the lips of many people is, how easy would it be for PDP to bring back all the warring factions, putting into the consideration the damage the NGF crisis has caused the ruling party and how PDP has created a crack in the wall for the opposition to penetrate.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 02:28:56 +0000
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