₦airaland Forum

malc619: Fayemi spoke very well. Dude is very intelligent and a true democrat..

Fayemi: Election Was Free And Fair, Too Late To Abort
SATURDAY, 25 MAY 2013 00:00 EDITOR NEWS - NATIONAL

GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State said what happened was a misjudgment of the capacity of Governor Godswill Akpabio, whom some thought has the magic wand to do and undo. He said it is not true that the Forum resolved to rotate its chairmanship between the North and South as what obtains is a two-year tenure that is renewable ones, just as Bukola Saraki did four years.

He said: “our role in the opposition camp is very clear and consistent, that this is the Governors’ Forum and not the Forum of Governors for the President. We do not want the President to decide for us who is to be our chairman. You cannot talk about democracy without a strong alternative voice. We hope it will also be seen in the light that those who want their words to be law do not mean well for this democracy. What happened is not a vote for Amaechi, it is not an endorsement for him. But it is a vote for the Governors’ Forum and it should not be misconstrued as an affront to the President. We respect him and we want to work with him, but for us, there is a time for politics and a time for governance.”

Fayemi explained that though the Forum was used to selecting its chairman through a consensus arrangement, this time around the Forum was polarised and the only way to resolve it was through an election.

He explained that 35 governors were in attendance, with the exception of Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam and the voting was free and fair, even though somebody tried to snatch the ballot. According to him, the baby was delivered alive and it is no longer possible to abort it.

Vernor: The question i will like to ask you is was he there for other pressing issues or for the AU meeting, please stop mixing issues, he left Naija for what? All i know is we all know the truth but because of d tribalism and religious bigot in us we will not speak the truth.

Inik: The governors forum has little or no benefits to the masses but to the governors and the president it is important politically because it is a power base that is made up of people who are at the helms of affairs in their respective states and who can influence their citizens to move towards their desired political direction. If you can gain the control of and endorsement by this group you will have men and resources that will work for you towards the actualization of your 2015 ambition.

Chrisbenogor: Bros,
Be like you dey think wetin I dey think.
It would be nice to pick your brains on what you think the next move for Amaechi is, the chess board of Nigerian politics have got really few moves in it. What exactly do you think was his crime?

django1: Lagos seems to be far ahead of other places in nigeria.

Bayelsa should have being like this by now if not for the crack heads governing that state!

Tolexander: Gbawe hold on!
Let me secure this space. Wanna watch the 2nd half of the champion's league.
Will come back later to comment.

Prof Corruption: This is an excellent article that captures the implications of that election in so many ways. The election was more of a referendum on 2015 because it was not, strictly speaking, PDP versus others, or North versus South. It was GEJ versus others in a plain and an undisguised manner. The coalition from either side was Multi-ethnic,region, religion,"parties", more like multi-everything.

Dramatic and unmistakable in implications as the election results were, I still believed that the fall out was not well managed by Akpabio, the arrow head of GEJ's camp. A simple congratulation would have been in order. The election result was far from consensus and Amaechi, being an intelligent fellow, would have embraced a sort of self restraint throughout his term. Even his acceptance or victory speech was essentially a reflection of this new reality.

Whatever the final outcome Amaechi has nothing to lose but Akpabio has driven himself and GEJ to frenzy now that's difficult to back down without some sort of humiliation.

Paulego: Choi!! The Fear of Amaechi is indeed the beginning of Confusion

Tolexander: Gbawe hold on!
Let me secure this space. Wanna watch the 2nd half of the champion's league.
Will come back later to comment.

blink182: The height of irresponsibility.

Nigeria Governors Forum and the Defeat of the Garrison Candidates: A Prelude to 2015 By Salihu Moh. Lukman
Posted: May 25, 2013 - 13:29
By Salihu Moh. Lukman
The election of Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) finally held on Friday, May 24 and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has emerged victorious. Polling 19 votes out of 35 and his opponent Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau got 16 votes. The election result was significant not just for the NGF but for the nation's democracy. One governor, Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, was absent and did not vote. The election would have held since February but was postponed about twice.

Development around the NGF election is not so much about Amaechi, Jang or the NGF as an association but about the process of affirming the values that recognizes producing winners and losers through acceptable processes. More important, it was about producing leaders through fair elections. The dramas and episodes around the emergence of PDP flag bearers for the election (from Governor Shema to Governor Yuguda and finally Jang) are issues that definitely reflected existing power configurations and the normal divisive strategies using regional boundaries especially in PDP.

Important as personalities represented by Amaechi or Jang and organisations such as NGF, it is the meaning and value associated with them that might have generated interest. Values not necessarily associated with partisan affiliations or ideological commitment but largely driven by current relationship with the presidency. Somehow, given the high interest of the leadership of the ruling PDP against Amaechi and the strategic move to mobilise (and perhaps intimidate) PDP governors against Amaechi, many would have expected that Amaechi will lose the election.

So far, what has happened over the years in the case of the NGF is that consultations have become regular, on monthly basis, and decisions taken were given some life. Successive leaders of NGF, from former Governors Abdullahi Adamu, Victor Attah and Bukola Saraki to current tenure of Rotimi Amaechi, all made their contributions. Through these leaders, NGF gradually evolved and it is still being shaped by so many factors. The interests around the May 24 election of Amaechi have produced additional factors in shaping the process of the development of Nigeria's democracy. There were basically two interests that have developed and become very formidably antagonistic to each other. It is President Jonathan and PDP leadership on the one hand against the state governors represented by Amaechi on the other. The interests have broken party lines. How did this happen?

This may perhaps be as a result of two fundamental factors. The first is that NGF being an association of mainly state governors is an association of equals. The second is that although they (governors) may have come together to form NGF without clear understanding of their potentials, challenges of responding to authoritarian orientation of the presidency, which was inherited after years of military rule come with enormous financial challenges, and over time, activities of NGF since its formation has created very high consciousness among governors about the capacity of state governments, acting as a collective, to neutralise or contest issues with federal government, represented by the presidency.

One of the reasons that made the NGF elections very interesting was the strong interest of President Jonathan in getting Amaechi out of the NGF. Largely on account of perhaps the role of Amaechi as NGF Chairman in providing leadership to Governors which resulted in situations where the governors contested some issues with the Federal Government, President Jonathan wanted Amaechi out of NGF by all means. Some of the issues that pitched the NGF against the Presidency include the Sovereign Wealth Fund, campaign for constitutional review to reduce powers of federal government in favour of states, review of revenue allocation formula, etc.

In some ways, the fact of the consciousness by governors about their capacity as a collective to contest issues with the presidency is not something that can be nullified through even the defeat of Amaechi. Assuming Amaechi has lost the election, it would have just been a matter of time before any person taking over the position of NGF Chairman finds himself in opposition to some position of the president, including Jang. For instance, will Jang or anyone on the side of PDP support the presidency on matters of discretionary declaration of oil revenue bearing in mind that what they get from the federation account is a function of what is declared which often is less than actual receipt? Will Jang or anyone tolerate unilateral policy initiative from the federal government that will result in committing state governments to expend resources?

These are issues that in so many respects conferred undue powers and privileges to the federal government on matters of controlling resources and revenue there from over states. They are matters that are at the heart of national efforts to redefine the orientation of our federalism. There may be the temptation to dismiss these issues with reference to the performance of the Governors, especially in regard to problems of lack of accountability and mismanagement of resources in our state governments. This no doubt does not invalidate the principles that democratic leadership is driven by the needs of members determined through processes of consultations.

We may disagree with the specification of what any category of people would define as their needs. The fact remain that members of organisations should have the right to determine what they want and it is a normal healthy democratic requirement which should proliferate on a national scale to guarantee national democratic order. Apart from the needs of members, the right of dissent is also an important attribute of democracy. Unfortunately, this too is continually being trampled upon.

Being a member of PDP, Amaechi’s candidature is in itself clearly an act of dissent, if you like rebellion against his own party. Together with Amaechi in this rebellion would be all PDP governors who supported and voted for him. From the result of the election, there are clearly 8 PDP governors, Amaechi inclusive. On the other side is also the fact that two so-called opposition governors, Peter Obi of Anambra and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo have joined PDP in the anti-Amaechi presidency plot.

What this means is that the presidency is gradually facilitating a process of restructuring Nigeria into a bipartisan political orientation based on PDP and anti-PDP divide. From the NGF election, it is a divide in which there are many in today’s PDP that are anti-PDP. They include certainly the 8 PDP governors that are on Amaechi’s side. Peter Obi and Olusegun Mimiko who are today not direct members of PDP are aligned to PDP and it will only be a matter of time before they take their rightful places inside PDP.

Given the contemporary political reality of Nigeria whereby citizens are just fed up by the ruling PDP and all the governance crisis it has produced, any rebellion against PDP may be popular. Beyond rebellion however, there is the fact that the Ameachi rebellion against PDP has all the attributes of being well organised. The fact of the APC governors being united may have definitely played a role. However, more significant was the mobilisational capacity of the anti-PDP rebellion in NGF having succeeded to win the support of 8 PDP governors. It demonstrated the fact that with organisation, the powerful and mighty can be defeated and the people can take charge of their destiny.

Nigerians may have their individual opinion. What is very instructive with the events around the NGF May 24 election of Rotimi Amaechi was that an election held and Amaechi was declared the winner. In so many ways, it was a victory against President Goodluck Jonathan and a victory against PDP. The interesting thing was that acting perhaps under the instruction of President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Godswill Akpabio as Chairman of so-called PDP Governors forum convened another meeting at Akwa Ibom house shortly after and declared that it was Governor Jang that was elected and circulated some purported results showing that 19 Governors have elected Jang. Interestingly, among the 19 Governors that were alleged to have elected Jang include Yobe Governor who was absent at the May 24 meeting where the election held.

It is not so much that the result of the election is being contested but the manner of contest which seeks to basically generate confusion and in the process create legitimacy crisis for the second tenure of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the Chairman of NGF. One would ordinarily expect that the Governors under Akpabio would seek to redress all grievances from the May 24 election through due process.

Due process could have meant that they make demands which may include asking for another meeting to review the conduct of the elections. And given that they are claiming to have 19 Governors on their side, it would have been a comfortable majority that could have given them the confidence to even move for the removal of Amaechi at the next meeting. The second option would have required that they seek legal intervention through the courts. There is the third option of sanctioning Amaechi and all PDP governors that may have acted contrary to party decisions. This may result in dismal of all PDP governors that are on the side of Amaechi from the party.

The only explanation to justify the position taken by the Akpabio led group of Governors would have been a reflection of their weakness which would have signalled inability to get any of the three scenarios highlighted. Since the PDP and the presidency is in control of security agencies, any confusion may translate into influencing the conduct of security operatives in favour of the Akpabio/Jang group and to that extent therefore coercing structures of the NGF especially the secretariat to compromise its loyalty to the Amaechi leadership. This will be in tandem with what can be described as garrison mentality that has been driving our democracy since 1999 whereby the position of the President must reign supreme and all party functionaries must subordinate themselves to that. In some ways, this means that the President must win every election in which he/she has interest. Supremacy of members and sovereignty of the people is at best a cliché for those who are interested.

The concern now is not so much that there is an election that was contested and has produced the defeat of the candidate promoted by the PDP and presidency. The main challenge is that the response to the defeat by both the defeated candidate, Jang, and perhaps the ruling PDP is to create confusion that may lead to the dismantling of the NGF as an organisation. The implication of this is that it will give the federal government and the presidency unfettered and uncontested power to govern the country, including trespassing into matters that are constitutionally reserve for states.

This is going to be very inimical to our democratic development as a nation for two reasons. First, it would mean that all organisations in the country must exist at the pleasure of the PDP and presidency. Secondly, should the current approach to orchestrate confusion and delegitimize the NGF succeed, it would mean that any attempt to unseat President Goddluck using constitutional means can be greeted with similar response in 2015. It was the strategy that Laurent Gbagbo employed in 2010 in Cote d’Ivoire following his defeat by Hassan Ouattara which led to months of crisis resulting in loss of lives and property. The international community had to intervene to restore sanity and affirm the sanctity of the 2010 elections.

The lesson therefore is that with the Presidency and PDP being on the driving seat in the unfolding leadership drama in NGF, it may as well be a prelude of what to expect in 2015 should Nigerians decide to vote out PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan out of office. The possible response of both PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan may be to refuse to accept the result and declare himself the winner of the election as opposed to whatever INEC may return. One will hope that this will be a complete wrong scenario. However, it is no doubt a possible scenario.

Against the background of warmongering noise of some militant groups from Niger Delta warning the nation about the consequence of not returning Goodluck for a second tenure in 2015, this may be a way to say that Goodluck will rule Nigeria for a second term with or without the votes of Nigerians. The capacity of Nigerian governors under the NGF to affirm the sanctity of their choice of leadership therefore is the first test of whether as a people, Nigerians can begin to send the right signal to PDP and President Goodluck. That signal should in unmistakable terms resoundingly highlight that all leaders must be elected through constitutional means.

It is also instructive that the victory of Amaechi reflects some political engineering that recognise the need to mobilise across ethnic, religious and regional lines. In fact, what is very attractive with respect to development around the NGF May 24 elections is that divisions are not influenced rigidly by our old primordial lines. What this mean is that moving towards 2015, the defeat of PDP may only be possible through strong mobilisation across all ethnic groups, religions and region.

For our APC, given the central role of our governors in the NGF May 24 election of Amaechi, to what extent will this experience help to prepare our merging parties for the rollout of APC? There may be the temptation to over celebrate. The truth is that APC leaders just need to recognise that Amaechi’s victory is just a reflection of the strength of mobilisation. The message to APC therefore is if APC is to be taken seriously as a party coming with strong potential to defeat PDP, it must come with strong membership mobilisation strategy!

smlukman@gmail.com

Prof Corruption: Laughable. Let me know when GEJ wins the PDP ticket. With all his nonsense, Amaechi defeated his proxy hands down.
He's leaving in 2015.

Goddex: Does Nigeria even need this Forum? For me any move aimed at killing this NGF will be one of the best things to happen to Nigeria.

The Vision of the Nigeria Governors Forum is to be:

“An effective, proactive, inclusive, non-partisan forum which actively fosters, promotes and sustains democratic values, good governance and sustainable development in Nigeria”



The mission statement sets out our reason for existence and illustrates the unique contribution that the Forum can make towards accomplishment of its purpose.

The Mission of the Nigeria Governors Forum is:

“To provide a platform for collaboration amongst the Executive Governors on matters of public policy; to promote good governance, sharing of good practice and to enhance cooperation at State level and with other arms of government and society”

Governors Akpabio, Obi, Mimiko and Jang Behind Plot To Break Up Governors Forum
Posted: May 25, 2013 - 00:06

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/news-page-images-480-wide/page_images/news/2013/forum%2013.jpg
Governor Rotimi Amaechi today after the NGF election
By SaharaReporters, New York
Several governors from two of Nigeria’s geo-political zones have told SaharaReporters how Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State reemerged as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum in a highly dramatic and widely watched election earlier today.

Mr. Amaechi’s reelection has rattled President Goodluck Jonathan who, one Presidency source disclosed, called Governors Godswill Akpabio, Peter Obi, Segun Mimiko and Jonah Jang from Ethiopia and charged them to do everything within their power to ensnare the outcome in controversy in order to delegitimize the results.

The four pro-Jonathan governors subsequently released a document claiming that 19 governors voted for Mr. Jang. The document did not state when the so-called voting was conducted. At a press conference called by Mr. Akpabio and attended by Governor Jang, the latter did not utter a word about his purported victory. Instead, Mr. Jang was glum and had a blank, vacant look.

Earlier today, Saharareporters broke the news about Governor Amaechi's victory.

A Presidency source told SaharaReporters that, before traveling to Ethiopia, President Jonathan had collected the signatures of 19 governors, including the governor of Yobe, with the aim of wresting the Governors’ Forum post from Mr. Amaechi. But at today's meeting where the election took place, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe was conspicuously absent. One of the governors told SaharaReporters that the Yobe governor decided not to attend the meeting because he detests Mr. Jang's sectarian fanaticism.

Our sources, who detailed the coalition that handed Mr. Amaechi a victory, told Saharareporters that 19 governors voted for the Rivers governor who has been locked in a major political dispute with Mr. Jonathan. The pro-Amaechi governors were those of Imo, Ekiti, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Adamawa, Borno, Osun, Jigawa, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara and Sokoto. Mr. Amaechi also voted for himself, securing reelection.

Our sources disclosed that the governors of Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Taraba, Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, Kebbi, Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Kaduna and four others voted for Mr. Jang, the president’s candidate.

Our sources painted a portrait of some dramatic developments ahead of today’s voting. SaharaReporters learned that the pro-Jonathan group adopted Governor Jang as their consensus candidate following a decision by a few Northern governors and some members of the PDP’s Governors Forum to pick a flag bearer outside of Governors Ibrahim Shema of Katsina and Isah Yuguda of Bauchi. The Jonathan group believed that Mr. Jang would seem less contentious. They also tipped Governor Mimiko of Ondo as Mr. Jang’s side kick in the hope of swaying some governors from the South-West.

Two governors disclosed that the anti-Amaechi group also suggested using “consensus” rather than an election to determine the leader of the forum. “They hoped the ‘consensus’ method would make it possible for them to swing the votes in their favor,” said one governor, adding that most governors insisted on voting.

One of the governors disclosed that Mr. Jonathan’s camp came to today’s meeting confident that they would prevail, since the president had obtained signatures from several governors in advance. But the president’s gubernatorial opponents said they knew Mr. Jang would be vanquished as the election, which was conducted by the secretariat of the Governors’ Forum, began. The forum’s director-general, Ashishana Okauru, was the presiding officer at the election with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State serving as the returning officer. Pro-Amaechi governors said they were certain of their candidate’s victory since the election was conducted via a secret ballot. “It was free and fair, so we knew that Chibuike [Amaechi] would win,” said one of the governors from the south-west.

After the voting, Governor Uduaghan announced the results, declaring Mr. Amaechi victorious. “All 35 governors present cast their vote and the tally was 19-16 in favor of Governor Amaechi,” one of the governors said. He dismissed Mr. Akpabio’s list of 19 governors for Mr. Jang, laughing that the Akpabio group even included the name of the Yobe governor who was not present at today’s vote.

It remained unclear whether the Presidency would succeed in pressuring Mr. Uduaghan to back away from the results he collated and announced at the governors’ parley.

One of the pro-Amaechi governors told SaharaReporters that Mr. Jang’s candidacy was “technically flawed, but we allowed him to run for the sake of peace.” According to him, observance of the forum’s constitution would mean that the picking of nomination forms ought to have ended by midnight on May 23, 2013. He claimed that Governor Jang only sent in a letter indicating his interest in the race around 3 p.m. on May 24, 2013. “It was a breach of our constitution, but Governor Amaechi and some of us decided not to push for Jang’s disqualification,” said the governor.

Another governor told Saharareporters that he suspects Mr. Jonathan would now be hell bent on destroying or dividing the Governors Forum. “He will see the result of today’s election as a vote of no confidence on his leadership,” said the governor, from one of the Northern states. He added: “All I know is [the] majority of governors don’t want the Presidency to be telling us what to do. We were elected just as Mr. President was elected. Let him lead the nation with good leadership effort and allow do the same in our state.”

The source added that Mr. Jonathan and his political associates would likely interpret the loss by Mr. Jang to Governor Amaechi as an indication that the president may lose the PDP’s primary elections to be the party’s flag bearer. “But it is his good governance that will make the party pick him again, not whether he forces Governor Jang to be our chairman,” said the source.

Several governors who spoke to us today said Governors Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Segun Mimiko of Ondo, Peter Obi of Anambra and Jonah Jang of Plateau of were out to do the president’s bidding at all cost. They accused the governors of seeking to polarize the Governors’ Forum in order to advance President Jonathan’s agenda of neutralizing Governor Amaechi.

[size=14pt]“These colleagues are key to President Goodluck Jonathan’s plan to turn Nigeria into Ivory Coast if he does not win in 2015,” said one source.[/size]

Eko Ile: Na Sahara reporters make the daft and incompetent president forget his AU obligations and protocol?

You people really need to get real abeg..

Mr. Amaechi’s reelection has rattled President Goodluck Jonathan who, one Presidency source disclosed, called Governors Godswill Akpabio, Peter Obi, Segun Mimiko and Jonah Jang from Ethiopia and charged them to do everything within their power to ensnare the outcome in controversy in order to delegitimize the results.

mikeansy: I think the Presidency should dissociate themselves from this nonsense and pledge to work with the duly elected chairman of NGF which is Amaechi

Everything in Nigerian Politics must not be do-or-die

The NGF is a social network of 36 individual Governors who as a forum have no jurisdiction whatsoever

So why all the rancour about this election, only God knows!

eGuerrilla: Like a flamboyant church minister hoping to satisfy the caprices of his profligate mind, that handle knows how to play on the intelligence of Nairalanders all to well. In another day or week from now, he will back feeding our desires for success - by showcasing some architectural edifice or another. Alternatively, he would also be found mounting an aerial-bound assault on most discussion threads (although usually the ones written by a foreign agency) which highlight statistics he finds unpalatable

He has a constituency of followers alright.

kingoflag: Whats this one saying? Nigerian courage? lmaooo The same Nigerians that look on as their politicians enslave them everyday? I could as well characterize it as "Middle-Eastern Courage" since its terror we're talking about here.

And as for your "Nigerian Politeness" that could also be described as "British Politeness" since the English are known to be polite.

"Few Africans, except perhaps Somalians, would show such mad courage, charging police car shooting at you" ?!? If youre crazed and determined then youre just crazed and determined, it has nothing to do with your nationality, but you as an individual.

Noiseless2: Spin doctor, sorry you talking to a proud Biafran and you can spin your way out this time so save that for your fellow shameless nigerians.

Yes FAROUK ABDULMUTALAB, the underwear suicide bomber kid had hypocrites like yourself trying too hard to spin their way out in their quest to distant their country's name from his evil, in the end the result is a land giving birth to BOKO HARAM, honestly the real problem your country and your people have is hypocrites like you.

KEEP SPINNING IT'S IN YOUR BLOOD!

EASTSIDAZ: Amaechi is headed for disaster. He is most likely to end up like Ibori. There are huge financial case that are being piled up against him. Nobody fights with presidency and goes free, unruined and undestroyed.

ballabriggs: Divisiveness, that is what worries me. And not just plain divisiveness, it is done in a very crude way such that thugs like Asari threaten the whole Nigeria and call a people "parasites", absolutely vile and disgusting. If you are an ethnic minority and you spread hate and divide, you are the biggest dolt because when it boomerangs, it is sure to hit you and consume your people. But Jona does not care about the ethnic minorities, they don't care about the South South and Ijaw people. Jona is a selfish man only interested in controlling resources into his pocket with Alams.

Tolexander: why should they have anything to worry about?
Guess you don't understand what democracy is!

Is it a must to pledge an alliance to the president in a democratic settings![b][/b]

Moreover, is the Rotimi Amechi that was voted to be the NGF chairman from another party different from PDP?

truly: It is also unprecedented in the history of this country to deny an incumbent the opportunity to seek re-election
Did Jonathan not do it to Sylva?

People like you see Amaechi quest for 2nd term as wrong because it heats up the polity
Why don't you say the same about Jonathan's quest for 2nd term
Please apply same rules to all!