* President using power to keep govs at bay – Prof Odion

* It negates party growth – Prof Baba

The inability of governors to rescue one of their colleagues, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from being forced out of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has further exposed how powerless, the once-powerful and influential forum in the country has become.

Under different fora, governors in the country until this administration wielded enormous powers, dictating who gets what at both state and national levels; directing party affairs and dictating for the president as the case was under previous administrations.

From pillar to post, governors of the APC under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), chaired by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, made frantic efforts to save Obaseki. From their respective states, seven governors, on a rescue mission led by Bagudu went to Lagos to seek the intervention of the leader of their party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. From Lagos to Abuja, the governors met Adams Oshiomhole and the mission was crowned with a visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

All efforts by the governors, however, didn’t yield needed result as Obaseki was disqualified from participating in the party’s primary over discrepancies in his certificates. A development that led to the governor’s sojourn to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Obaseki is on the verge of picking his new party’s ticket. Will his colleagues back in the APC support him to actualise his second term bid in another party? Pundits are watching.

Obaseki was not the first to be treated in such manner, former Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode, got the same treatment in 2018. Following his rift with Tinubu, Ambode was edged out of the governorship race when he was defeated by the anointed candidate of his godfather, (Tinubu), Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the party’s governorship primary.

From the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) which was birthed in 1999 with Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) as pioneer chairman, governors now have many fora to champion and advance their interests including the PGF for governors elected on the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDPGF) for those elected on the platform of PDP. Regional fora of the governors also exist.

During the 16 years reign of the PDP, governors were not only influential in states, their influence was extended to the federal level. Ministerial, board and other federal appointments were decided by the governors. Through the party, the governors nominated those to be considered for appointment by the president.

The trend changed when President Muhammadu Buhari came on board. As president-elect, Buhari jettisoned the tradition which was embedded in the polity by the PDP when he told governors elected on the platform of APC that he would not consider nominees from them for ministerial appointment.

Before Buhari was sworn-in in 2015, the then PGF chairman, Rochas Okorocha, led members of the forum to visit him. During the visit, they reportedly submitted names of their preferred ministerial nominees to Buhari.

He, however, rejected them, and he was quoted to have jocularly asked the governors whether he appointed their commissioners for them. Pundits believe that, by that action, the president laid the foundation for whittling down the governors’ powers.

In March, a gang up of more than half of the APC governors to oust Oshiomhole failed when Tinubu, a former governor came to the rescue of the former labour leader regarded as his stooge.

Source: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/how-buhari-whittled-down-governors-powers.html

There should be room for others to contest if he had done well definitely they should not fear direct primary. Governorship is an public office that anyone can aspire and attain if he's loved by his people. My opinion. I dedicate this FTC to PMB for giving room for free and fair.

Pls say something else abeg....so he knows how to whittle down their powers when it involves party politics, but when the country needed strong leadership in the fight against Covid 19, he became lost and allowed the governors to use excessive force and draconian laws on residents of their states. Look, Buhari has achieved his retirement benefit, which is to have become president, so whoever complains of his inefficiencies is just wasting his/her time, cos he is not even aware of the functions of his office

The governors were becoming too powerful

Did he wittle down his own powers too?

Una sabi give people undue credit wey go make the people sef begin ask themselves say wetin dem do?

So Buhari has power to whittled down the governors' politically but can't use the same power to tackle the security challenges in the country??

SmartProf:
Pls say something else abeg....so he knows how to whittled down their powers when it involves party politics, but when the country needed strong leadership in the fight against Covid 19, he became lost and allowed the governors to use excessive force and draconian laws on residents of their states. Look, Buhari has achieved his retirement benefit, which is to have become president, whoever complains of his inefficiency is just wasting his/her time, cos he is not even aware of the functions of his office

See crying

Only The Govenment Is His Problame What Of Security And Jobs For His Citizenry.

helinues:
So Buhari has power to whittled the governor's but can't use the same power to tackle the security challenges in the country??

Why are you asking Mathematics question in a Biology class?

JAMO84:
Why are you asking Mathematics question in a Biology class?

JAMO84:
See crying

If that's your interpretation, then its better to cry than being a slave and smiling

By now I believe we all have seen that Obaseki doesn't deserve to be forgiven. His desperation and disloyalty is top notch. I just want to know what happens if he doesn't get the PDP's ticket eventually.

Is not Buhari's fault, the reason is that most of this governors are not good party men. Politics is not played that way. As a result of their false invincibility, they start witch-hunting their benefactors and all those that brought them into power. Be a true party man by carrying everyone along. Haven't you notice that most of this governors don't even have up to 30% of the state's delegates and yet they want to fight the same system that brought them into power.

NIGERIA IS A PRESIDING GOVERNMENT SYSTEM. NIGERIA 36 CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNORS SHOULD HAVE EQUAL AND FULL POWERS LIKE THOSE IN THE U.S.

Space for sale

La news La Fake.
The Governors are still doing anyhow as long as they belong to APC like Orji Uzor Kalu. The Govs still handpick LGA Chairmen and Councillors 100%

Seems some people just dey wake up.

Na Unitary system of government 9ja dey practice since 2015

that one no b anything

You left the owner of the food and went to beg someone the owner gave one spoon .

You people should have gone to Beg Giadom or Amaechi not Tinubu Una eye don clear

Giadom is hostimg party in the villa for NWC you people will attend remotely only paddy men will attend physically so as you talk nonesense he will just click "X" and cancel you

Which Buhari?

Covid19 is showing us how STATE GOVERNMENTS is run in the US.

SmartProf:
Pls say something else abeg....so he knows how to whittle down their powers when it involves party politics, but when the country needed strong leadership in the fight against Covid 19, he became lost and allowed the governors to use excessive force and draconian laws on residents of their states. Look, Buhari has achieved his retirement benefit, which is to have become president, so whoever complains of his inefficiencies is just wasting his/her time, cos he is not even aware of the functions of his office

You're very right..imagine state governments controlling who enters their state and even closing down international boundaries.. Buhari doesn't know what is even happening sef

Morning

this is not the first time a sitting governor is losing his party ticket.

we all know Buhari cannot even control his own family so stop writing nonsense

Those bastards need to be control