Edwin Clark, one of President Goodluck Jonathan's closest politicalconfidants, wants the Nigerian Governors Forum outlawed. Mr. Clark described the Forum as a threat to Nigeria's democracy.

The unusual attack on the body of governors raised questions whether Mr. Clark, a one-time Minister of Information, was articulating an argument shared by the Nigerian president. The Forum has had a history of confronting Mr. Jonathan on some political and economic issues. Mr. Clark’s critical view was contained in an open letter to the Forum.

The president’s associate read the letter at a gathering Thursday at his new palatial residence located at Plot 43, Haile Selassie Crescent, in the Asokoro section of Abuja.

Mr. Clark accused members of the Forum of breaching the Nigerian constitution with impunity. The statement read, “I wish to dwell on some of the offending activities of the Governors Forum which are driving the country to madness but which as members you do not care about, provided you achieve your purpose and the Forum’s over-bearing influence on the Peoples Democratic Party, the supremacy of which you have hijacked.

“The Governors Forum is now acting as an opposition party to the Federal Government.

“It deliberately breaches with impunity, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Constitution of the PDP, without any challenges.
“The Forum has now become a threat to the peace and stability ofNigeria. Most of the governors today, are more dictatorial than thethen military governors. The President should ban them.”

Mr. Clark regretted that President Jonathan might not be able to abolish the Forum since members of the National Assembly were unlikely to pass a bill to that effect.

He argued that “members of the assembly are loyal to the governors, who put them in the office." He stated that the NationalGovernors Association in the United States of America, which the Forum copied, operates within the confines of American law. He described the Nigerian Governors Forum as “a thorn in the flesh ofthe country.”

Mr. Clark praised the American counterparts of the Nigerian governors he criticized. “For instance,” he stated, “President Bill Clinton on his own as the Governor of a very small state, Arkansas,and as a chair of the [US Governors] Association, did not use it for his personal gains but rather worked assiduously under the platform and directive of the Democratic Party, to become one of the most successful Presidents of the United States of America.”
Reacting to Mr. Clark’s attacks, an aide to one of the governors in the northern part of Nigeria told Saharareporters that the erstwhile minister’s call for the ban of the Forum was a non-starter. The aide accused Mr. Clark of playing to the gallery aspart of a scheme to weaken opposition to the idea of Mr. Jonathan’s second term. “It is simply a political game to pressure governors to support President Jonathan’s bid for a second term,” he said

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/clark-wants-jonathan-ban-governors-forum

fkaz:
The president’s associate read the letter at a gathering Thursday at his new palatial residence located at Plot 43, Haile Selassie Crescent, in the Asokoro section of Abuja.

So he has join them in owning palatial manson in Asokoro Abuja, No wonder he can't tell the president the truth. May be he will tell the presido some truth now or after he too aquire private jet.

3rd to comment, God is great!

this page is not for sale for advert contact the boss seun

...

na dem sabi

This mad old man is back again!

for what

Ban what?everythin is baned here in nigeria...very soon now they will ban prisedent not 2 speak on tv anymore because most of nigeria presido always misyarn when adressin nigeria on tv

I was expecting him 2 giv a sound reason 4 such a ban. Abeg sm1 shuld tell dat senile old fool 2 stop distractin Nigerians wit useles speeches, we alredy hav several problems in dis country

fkaz: “President Bill Clinton on his own as the Governor of a very small state.......
http://saharareporters.com/news-page/clark-wants-jonathan-ban-governors-forum

Someone please tell this illiterate, tribal, mad warlord that Arkansas is nowhere near a "SMALL STATE".

This man with his usual entertainment of comedy. How can the President ban a force that can overwhelm him? The NGF is the biggest and most powerful Cabal in the country!

No! I don't tink he's right. As a matter of fact its d Governor's forum dat has been putin d dull tinkin president in order.

Can it really be banned! The forum is an informal gathering of like minded individual in other to share experiences and discuss national issues. The forum is not officially registered with the coopertate companies office so it cannot be banned. Last I recall Nigerians still have a fundermental human right of association which is guaranteed by d constitution. So mr clerk, se na old age dey worry u abi wetin now! 0

can someone please remind clark nigeria is not under a military regime and we dont need edicts and decrees?

Are all south south people clueless?

100% I blieve wit clark, dat forum only protecyt their political interest

Flye:
So he has join them in owning palatial manson in Asokoro Abuja, No wonder he can't tell the president the truth. May be he will tell the presido some truth now or after he too aquire private jet.

My thoughts exactly. Can someone tell us what this guy does for a living, so as to afford a "palatial mansion" in Abuja?

miiraaj: Are all south south people clueless?

like what Demdem has said, not all of us are clueless but almost all our leaders are either clueless or corrupt, especially those from the riversides community.

KnowAll: Can it really be banned! The forum is an informal gathering of like minded individual in other to share experiences and discuss national issues. The forum is not officially registered with the coopertate companies office so it cannot be banned. Last I recall Nigerians still have a fundermental human right to association which is guaranteed by d constitution. So mr clerk, se na old age dey worry u abi wetin now!

I'm not sure I dnt wat u mean by its an informal gatherin, I have a frnd who woks there n its no where close 2 bein an informal gatherin, as a matter of fact its a formal corp wt quite a number of staff

Apparently chief clarke don't know what the constitution is. The president cannot ban the governours forum just as he cannot sack a governour, this is a federal republic and state soverignty is at it's core. Think chief..think!!

Whatever it is,Edwin Clark's motive towards this are purely for his own gain

joke of the century......2015 on the way.

miiraaj: Are all south south people clueless?

you're a bloody plonker for that most outrageous and disgusting question!! Why would you insult an entire region of people because of one outlair? I hope you realise how inappopraite that was.

@chirolecchick

Because they have staff does not mean it is not an in- forrmal gathering. The Governors are only spending d peoples money wrongly like they normally do.

[img]http://learnweek.com/?r=trimmy[/img] kindaa Of [img]http://learnweek.com/?r=agbeniga[/img]

I very much agree with E.K. Clark on d fact that d Gov. Forum is becoming a monster in unsettling the Nigerian polity and should be outlawed.Clark may have selfish reasons for saying that, but as it stands, that idea is sound. We should try as much as possible to make comments without insulting pple. When we insult pple like dat,we become no better than they.

The run up to 2015 getting more interesting by the day.
Yet did anyone notice the below in the write-up,for the writer to use palatial means 'chop money' dey flow from oil barrel into pocket.
¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿
The president’s associate read the letter at a
gathering Thursday at his new palatial
residence located at Plot 43, Haile Selassie
Crescent, in the Asokoro section of Abuja.

Demdem:

actually they arent but most of their leaders are.

Good to know!