With 24 hours left to the all-crucial Nigeria Governors’ Forum meeting where the new chairman shall be elected, the camps of Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom are not leaving anything to chance in their lobbying efforts to see they came out victorious.
A source in the Akpabio camp, which is fighting the interests of President Goodluck Jonathan determined to see that Amaechi does not get a second term as NGF chairman, confided in this correspondent that the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States had altered the game plan.
The source said, “The state of emergency declared by the President has altered the calculations among avowed Amaechi’s supporters. They now know that opposing the President on this one is a risky business. When he said he would contest, we knew that he did not realise that his options were narrowing and his support base was being depleted.”
However, a source in the pro-Amaechi camp said the governor had not lost hope.
He said, “We are aware that the other camp is playing a mind game.
“They have been using subtle threats as well as promises to try to sway governors who they know are championing Ameachi’s cause.
“If you listen carefully to the address of Chief Tony Anenih in Asaba, you will agree with me that they want Amaechi out by all means. Our confidence is in the fact that Amaechi’s work as NGF Chairman speaks for itself.
“This fight is not personal, he is fighting for the independence of the forum from federal control so that governors can choose to be independent or continue to subject themselves to the whims of an individual.”
Governors Babaginda Aliyu (Niger State); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), among others are said to be championing Amaechi cause, while Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), are reportedly rooting for another leader for the forum.
The alleged rift between Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan over 2015 election is also said to have caused the creation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party Governors’ Forum chaired by Akpabio.
On his own part, President Goodluck Jonathan is said to have perfected plans to coerce the NGF into conducting their elections at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
This was revealed by an informed source even as he is said to have dumped Shema as his preferred candidate for the NGF chairmanship and wants to push Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State to run against Amaechi.
The source added that in the last few days, precisely since Thursday, a few governors have been guests of the president at the presidential villa to sign and endorse the “election” of Yuguda as the new chairman of the Governors’ Forum.
It was learnt that this was a final desperate effort by the president to checkmate Governor Amaechi and ensure that he is not re-elected.
The source further disclosed that, in the voting sheet memo allegedly hatched by Jonathan, the strategy is to conduct the voting in the villa by inviting the governors individually and demanding their signatures in support of the new candidate, Isa Yuguda.
The execution of the plan, it was learnt, began on Thursday last week after the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja when some of the governors were “ambushed for the ‘signing ceremony’ in the villa”.
Information gathered exclusively revealed through a governor who reported the matter to his state caucus indicates that some of the governors that have allegedly signed were Kebbi governor Saidu Nasamu Dakingari, Kwara governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam.
Nonetheless, some of the governors, it was revealed, pointedly refused to sign and rather pleaded for some time to reflect on the matter.
A source also disclosed that a governor who reported to his state caucus mentioned details of the circumstances and revealed further that almost all the governors have been complaining about the intimidation and harassment, and indeed blackmail, from the presidency all in an effort to force them to dump Governor Amaechi.
“Nigerians must be shocked to know that, in the last few days, the election of the Governor’s Forum was being conducted from the villa with a sitting president presiding over what is apparently the rigging of Rotimi Amaechi out of the office of chairman of Governors’ Forum. This unprecedented move was decided upon after all the lobby and pressure put on most of the pro-Amaechi governors to dump him failed,” the source lamented.
Jonathan was said to have dumped Shema after he was advised that Shema candidature “would not fly”.
“The presidency is said to have been rattled by the continued support enjoyed by Rotimi Amaechi amongst his colleague governors; thus, it is employing every conceivable strategy to make sure that Amaechi never returns as chairman,” the source stated.
However, not everyone within the PDP is comfortable with the events that have taken place as a result of the feud between the Amaechi and Jonathan.
“How far or how low can a president go or descend in order to settle scores with a perceived political opponent?” queried a PDP chieftain who would not want his name in print.