Crisis: PDP states paralysed as govs relocate to Abuja



**Aides now perform state functions
**Critical files taken to Abuja for action
**Some spend two days a week in domains
**Enugu gov off radar since Aug 24

Indications emerged that government activities have been paralysed in the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled states as governors have abandoned their duty posts in the wake of the crisis rocking the party.

Some of the governors have practically relocated to Abuja, the nation’s capital, and turned the Presidential Villa as their Government Houses.

It was gathered that the governors now permanently reside in Abuja in order to participate in the series of power-meetings taking place in the seat of governance and be part of the peace talks and reconciliatory moves to unite the feuding groups to the detriment of governance of their states.

National Mirror learnt that the governors opted to remain in Abuja with their aides until the festering crisis was resolved.

Findings showed that most of the governors on both sides of the crisis had refused to return to their respective states since August 31 when a faction of the PDP, led by former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar and six governors, stormed out of the venue of the special convention of the ruling party in Abuja.

Investigation by National Mirror in some states controlled by the ruling party showed that many strategic government activities and programmes, which required the attention, approval and confirmation as well as major policy documents for which the authority and signature of the governors were mandatory had been suspended or in some cases such documents are taken to Abuja.

It was also learnt that stakeholders in the states were worried about the financial and other implications of the prolonged stay of the governors and their aides in Abuja.

Investigation in one of the PDP-controlled states in the South-South revealed that the governor had not been seen in the state in the past two weeks.

The state chief executive, who is one of the arrowheads of the pro-President Goodluck Jonathan/ Bamanga Tukur faction of the ruling party, reportedly departed the state for Abuja, one week before the controversial special convention of August 31.

Consequently, government activities in the state have been at low ebb in the past two weeks. His aides were reported to be shuttling between the state capital and Abuja, moving files and documents meant for the immediate attention of their boss.

Investigation also revealed that civil servants and political office holders are upset by the attitude of the governor, which had affected the payment of their August salaries and allowances.

A top civil servant, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “We have not seen our governor in the state in the past two weeks just because of his involvement in the resolution of the crisis in the PDP. The attitude of the governor is very strange because he has subsumed the interest of the state under that of the party.

“Government activities in this state have been paralysed because major policies, programmes and decisions revolve around and require the attention and authorisation of the governor. Since we are not seeing the governor here, the state has been grounded and we don’t know how long the trend will continue. Maybe as long as the crisis persists.

“Sad enough, the August salaries and allowances have not been paid, a development, which lowered the morale of the workers. The governor at times asked his aides to move files in and out of Abuja but that style is not even helping matters.

“So much money is being expended on the maintenance of the governor’s crew in Abuja while nothing is happening at the state.”

Akwa Ibom

If you are a visitor to the Akwa Ibom State Hilltop Mansion, the seat of power, with the sole purpose of seeing Governor Godswill Akpabio, the chances are that you should prepare for a long wait of perhaps two weeks, one month or more and pray fervently to be among the lucky few that will see him when he dashes into the state to handle a few official matters and dashes out in an already waiting private jet.

That has been the scenario since assumption of office for a second term by the governor, who has made a remarkable impact in the infrastructural development of the state in his first term.

Akpabio, the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, PGF, is more engrossed in party affairs in Abuja than in state matters.

From Abuja, the governor tours the world either on medical check-up, looking for investors or accompanying Mr. President to official functions overseas.

When he is in the country, especially since his assumption of duty as the PGF chairman, the governor is always involved in several meetings mostly aimed at trouble shooting or finding solutions to the crisis-ridden PDP.

National Mirror gathered that the relocation of Akpabio’s family to Lagos perhaps worsened the absence of the governor from the state. When he takes time off his busy schedule in Abuja, he moves to Lagos to spend time with his family. Hence, several political and social events held recently in the state with him as the special guest of honour or chairman of the occasion had to settle for representations by the deputy governor or a commissioner and sometimes none.

For instance, Akpabio was to be the special guest at last week’s National Political Summit held in Uyo, the state capital but he only sent his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umana, to represent him at the event organised by the Nigeria Consensus Group, NCG, led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze.

The governor, however, arrived from Abuja the next day to host them to a gala night after which he returned to Abuja the following day.

Before now, it is common to see one youth group or another standing by the gate of the Governor’s Office with placards, making demands but today the usual greeting among even the staff of the Governor’s Office in Uyo is Oga don return?

Plateau

Governance is gradually taking flight in Plateau State. Since the election of Governor Jonah Jang as a factional chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, his frequent trips to Abuja have been a source of concern to stakeholders in the state.

Though Jang’s leadership and developmental strides in the state are not in doubt, observers say his trips to the Federal Capital Territory and overseas arising from the fallout of the NGF and PDP crises now take him days or weeks before returning to the state.

Also, the weekly State Executive Council meeting where critical decisions on state matters are taken has not been regular since he became the NGF chair, a development, which many see as a setback to his developmental projects in the state.

Bayelsa

Prior to Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson’s three-week vacation, the opposition and other concerned citizens are becoming worried over his frequent tours to Abuja and outside the country.

They alleged that Dickson had abandoned pressing state matters for Abuja, but the governor had dismissed reports of his junketing, saying that his tours outside the state were purely “official”. Dickson described himself as the least travelled governor in the country.

Because of the frequency of the governor’s visits to Abuja, his government had upgraded the state’s liaison office in the FCT such that his former chief of staff was redeployed to Abuja.

It was learnt that Dickson most times treat official files in Abuja.

But his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso- Markson, denied allegations that the governor was junketing about, thereby abandoning official duties in the state.

He insisted that the “governor travels outside the state purely on official duties.”

In an interview with National Mirror, Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Christopher Abarowei, described Dickson’s trips as worrisome. He urged the governor to cut his trips and focus on the development of the state.

Benue

Governor Gabriel Suswam seems more fascinated in running Benue State from either Abuja or overseas.

National Mirror gathered that the governor hardly spent two days in one week in the state before returning to Abuja.

Critics say he is one of the most travelled state governors in Nigeria and that he is so much engrossed in PDP affairs, power projects or federal assignments than state matters.

The state Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, Baba Agan, accused Suswam of failing to govern the state at home.

The CNPP boss, who spoke with National Mirror in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, yesterday, said the governor was ruling Benue from four different Government Houses: Benue State Government House, Abuja, another one in his home town, Anyiin, in Logo Local Government while other locations include South Africa and United Kingdom.

But Suswam’s Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Dr. Cletus Akwaya, in a chat with National Mirror debunked claims of frequent trips of the governor.

He said: “My principal is not persistently absent. He was given a national assignment to chair the Committee on Needs Assessment Implementation for the Universities.

“This is well known to every Nigerian. He has discharged the assignment successfully and returned to the state.”

Another governor that hardly stays in his domain is the factional chairman of the NGF, Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Rivers

The Rivers State governor only sneaks into the state capital, Port Harcourt, on weekends and flies back to Abuja at the beginning of the week to strategise with his political associates.

The Deputy Governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru, and the Chief of Staff, Emma Okocha, always hold sway while the governor and his aides are away.

Commissioners, who seek the attention of the governor, National Mirror learnt, have to be at the Government House on weekends to sort out their businesses or travel to Abuja to sign vital urgent documents that requires the physical input of the state governor.

Apart from party functions, Amaechi has been spending some time out of the state for security reasons as he has told the world that his security aides have been withdrawn by the state Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, while his former Aide-de- Camp has absconded from his duty post, following his involvement in the violent session at the State House of Assembly in August.

Souh-East states

Like their counterparts, the South-East governors are frequently out of their workplace or states of governance.

It is either they are in Abuja attending their political party or National Economic Council meetings or their personal engagements that most times take place outside the countries.

Governor Sullivan Chime is, however, peculiar in his absenteeism. Whereas he equally attends PDP and NEC meetings in Abuja, he is usually outside the country for health reasons.

For instance, Chime boarded the celebrated inaugural flight of Ethiopian Airlines out of Enugu on August 24, 2013 and has not been sighted in the state since then.

No statement has come out from the governor’s aides to indicate where he went to and why he is staying out of his place of primary assignment for such period of time.

This is not the first time Chime will be staying out of the Coal City for a long time and for unexplainable reasons. His five months ‘AWOL’ early this year generated a lot of controversies such that many rumoured he was dead.

Even after he came back from the long health travel, Chime continued to make frequent trips. This time around, there is fear that even the Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, is equally out of the country.

At state functions, different commissioners now represent the governor.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is also in the habit of embarking on frequent travels.

Only recently, Okorocha returned from World Igbo Congress in USA even when he had no cabinet in place to run the affairs of the state.

Almost on a daily basis, Okorocha is seen in Abuja, Lagos, Awka and other cities other than Owerri, where he is engrossed with political party activities of his newly-founded APC.

For Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, he is always in Abuja attending meetings of either the NGF or the Federal Government’s economic team.

His critics say Obi has made Aso Rock his home.

In Ebonyi and Abia states, both Governors Martin Elechi and Theodore Orji are frequent in attending schedules in Abuja, particularly PDP meetings. Both governors are so neckdeep in the party politics that they see it as their only survival strategy and will always pay greater attention to it even at the detriment of other things going in their different states.

Governor Orji now spends more time in Abuja than Abia State. He is one of the allies of President Jonathan.

Katsina

Several people in Katsina State yesterday expressed mixed reactions over Governor Ibrahim Shema’s frequent travels and absence from the state.

While his supporters professed that the governor’s absence was aimed at attracting foreign investors to help transform the state’s economy, others lamented that it was stalling the state’s socio-economic development.

The reaction was garnered from a mini- survey carried out yesterday by National Mirror on the streets of the state capital.

Respondents opposing his absence accused the governor of wasting state resources in estacode and flights as he globe trots.

They said his frequent visits to Abuja especially was aimed at ensuring his continued relevance long after he leaves the governorship seat in 2015.

In addition, his opponents said whenever he was absent, nothing in the state seemed to be happening.

They noted that there was great difference in state affairs when a state governor was present to attend to his constitutional duties than when he was absent.

Some of the respondents also said that Shema was elected to be up-and-doing within the state and not outside of it, and that money being spent on such trips could be used to alleviate the level of poverty in rural communities.

His supporters, however, differed, saying his frequent absence led to much of the development being witnessed in the state.

Reports from: Sola Adebayo, Sam Oluwalana, Tony Anichebe, James Abraham, Emma Gbemudu, Dennis Agbo, James Danjuma and Henry Iyorkase

National Mirror gathered that the relocation of Akpabio’s family to Lagos

stagger: This is a deceptive headline. I have not been in my office more than 50 days the whole of this year and the place is running smoothly. What do we have all the communication technology for?

berem: At this juncture, I GIVE UP!