Things have badly fallen apart in the Southern Governors’ Forum, the association of 17 governors from the Southern part of the country, and the centre can no longer hold, Daily Independent has exclusively gathered.

The last time the forum met was over almost a year ago, precisely on September 16 2021 in Enugu. It had before then met at Ikeja, the Lagos State capital which was chosen as its permanent secretariat while its inaugural meeting was held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

The 17 Southern governors from the South-South, South-West and South-Eastern parts of the country comprise nine gover­nors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seven governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and one governor of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

At the first meeting in Asaba, key decisions were taken concerning the security and welfare of the country such as ban on open grazing in all Southern states in a bid to provide a solution to the incessant herdsmen attacks, and advice to the Federal Government to convene a national dialogue to ensure greater inclusiveness in ex­isting governance arrange­ments. ­

During the second meet­ing in Lagos, the Southern governors unanimously declared that Nigeria’s next president should come from the Southern part of the country. They also set a timeline of September 1, 2021, for promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all 17-member states.

The first sign of trou­ble in the forum began in December, last year, when Cross Rivers State gover­nor, Ben Ayade, declared the position of the South­ern Governors’ Forum on anti-grazing law as draco­nian, saying he will never be a party to it as herdsmen are his brother.

Ayade had said, “How would you as a nation de­clare illegitimate a legiti­mate trade of the people, the nomadic herdsmen. Even though Southern governors have made it very clear that all South­ern governors must pass the anti-open grazing law, Cross River has not, I have not because I cannot ask my herdsmen brothers whether of Northern or Southern ex­traction to shut down their trade and stay confined to a place whether they have the pasture or not.”

The major issue that led to the collapse of the forum was the issue of the power rotation between the North and South.

Daily Independent gath­ered that while the South­ern governors agreed that the South must produce the president, some of them backed Northerners.

Speaking with Daily Inde­pendent, a prominent leader from the South-South, one of the brains behind South­ern governors coming together to meet and take positions on critical issues, admitted that the forum has collapsed.

According to him, even if any meeting is called today, majority of the governors will not turn up as they are not on the same page on sev­eral issues.

“Yes, the Southern Gover­nors’ Forum has collapsed. Initially, they were able to do an inter-party arrangement before the presidential pri­maries that the South must produce the president. In the PDP, the South did not produce the president, the ticket was clinched by Ati­ku Abubakar while Nyesom Wike came second.

“Wike believes that some of his colleagues in the Southern Governors’ Fo­rum betrayed their cause by supporting a Northerner underground. His camp is accusing Delta State gover­nor, Ifeanyi Okowa, of fund­ing Atiku’s campaign in the presidential primary. They also believe that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State worked for Atiku’s emergence.

“On the other hand, Wike can also be said to have be­trayed the agenda of the Southern Governors’ Fo­rum. This is because of his desperation to become a running mate to a Northern presidential candidate. The reason why Wike is fighting Atiku now is because he was not chosen as running mate.

“So, if he had been cho­sen by Atiku, he will be hap­py to be a running mate to a Northern presidential can­didate which the Southern Governors’ Forum unani­mously rejected. So, Wike is also guilty of what his camp is accusing Okowa, Obaseki and others of.

"In the APC, the South­ern governors, especially in the South-West were also divided over the pres­idential ambition of some of the party leaders such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osin­bajo, Kayode Fayemi and others. But unlike the PDP, the APC has managed to put its house in order and are working together to ensure victory for the party in the 2023 presidential election”.

Moh247:
After what Okowa did , I doubt anyone would take Southern Governors forum serious again

PresidObi:
You see Tinubu and Atiku, they are ready to tear apart the country for their selfish ambition to corner our Nigerian wealth to their personal pockets.very selfish people.

That's the real reason these governors are taking positions against themselves.

Am on your side bro

It is stamped that we must vote for peter oni

Vote for Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed of Lp.

Retire the old, corrupt, divisive order that has been ruining Nigeria and rendering the masses poor with their old age and incompetence.

Moh247:
After what Okowa did , I doubt anyone would take Southern Governors forum serious again

Obaseki and Okowa are the Judas

Zooposki:


Who did the South East delegation vote for? Wike?

naptu2:
The first meeting of the southern governors in the 4th Republic was held in Lagos in October 2000. The Southern Governors Summit was used to coordinate the fight for resource control and more importantly, the fight against the onshore/offshore dichotomy. It was also used to demand for devolution of powers (state police, etc.).

Offshore/Onshore Dichotomy.

The 1999 constitution stated that a percentage of mineral revenue that was derived from a state should be given to that state. It also stated that the National Assembly should meet to determine what the percentage would be, but it must not be less than 13%.

The Federal Government led by President Olusegun Obasanjo paid the states 13% of the revenue derived from minerals in their states. This was because the National Assembly did not set any percentage, so the Federal Government simply used the percentage that was mentioned in the constitution.

However, there was a problem.

The Federal Government stated that any mineral (that is, crude oil) that was found in the ocean, off the continental shelf of a state, belonged to the Federal Government and it would not pay any derivation funds to any state for it.

The states argued that they must have a share of the revenue from such minerals, regardless of the fact that they are in the ocean.

The battle was waged in the National Assembly and in the courts. State governments sued the Federal Government. The state governors were meeting to coordinate their strategy, but then there was a division. A few northern state governments took the side of the Federal Government and so the Southern governors then decided to coordinate their strategy through the Southern Governors Forum.

Politics crept in ahead of the 2007 elections and the Southern Governors Forum did not meet between 2005 and 2017. Their wives continued to hold meetings, but the Southern Governors Forum did not meet.

Until recently, the host governor usually acted as chairman and spokesman of the forum.


List of Southern Governors Forum meetings

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Lagos, October 2000.
https://allafrica.com/stories/200010100252.html


Southern Governors Forum meeting, Enugu, January 2001.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200101150174.html

Conclave of Governors (report of the Southern Governors Summit in Enugu)
https://allafrica.com/stories/200101150096.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Benin, March 2001.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200103190380.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Ibadan, September 2001.
https://allafrica.com/stories/200109110026.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Owerri, November 2001.
https://allafrica.com/stories/200111140102.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Port Harcourt, March 2002
https://allafrica.com/stories/200203110194.html

7th Southern Governors Forum meeting, Akure, July 2002.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207120292.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, February 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200402060556.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Benin, December 2004
https://allafrica.com/stories/200412060193.html

Nigeria: Southern Govs. Summit: Igbinedion Carpets FG Over Anambra Crisis
https://allafrica.com/stories/200412060258.html

Nigeria: Deductions: Southern Govs Lash FG
https://allafrica.com/stories/200412060349.html

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Lagos, February 2005
https://allafrica.com/stories/200503010200.html

Udenwa makes case for southern governors forum. March 2005.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200503020368.html


Southern Governors Forum To Meet In Lagos 12 Years After Last Meeting (Lagos, 2017)
https://www.nairaland.com/4130625/southern-governors-forum-meet-lagos


Southern Governors Forum meeting, Asaba, May 2021
https://www.nairaland.com/6548268/insecurity-southern-governors-meet-asaba

Southern Governors Forum meeting, Lagos, July 2021
https://www.nairaland.com/6634966/southern-governors-meet-lagos-today

hisexcellency34:


https://independent.ng/2023-presidency-anti-grazing-law-ruin-southern-govs-forum/

Zooposki:


Who did the South East delegation vote for? Wike?