The plot to stop Rivers State Governor, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, from
retaining his position as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum
(NGF) has intensified, with a lobby team working against him moving
round the country. Impeccable sources told Saturday Sun that the lobby
group,
headed by Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of
Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, is meeting governors and trying to
convince them to vote against Amaechi. Amaechi and Katsina State
Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, believed to be the candidate of the
Presidency, will know their fate on May 9, when governors will meet to
pick a chairman of their forum.
It was gathered that the lobby group is now in the South South, where
it is expected to meet with Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom),
Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Liyel Imoke
(Cross River), to press it upon them to support Shema. The team, which
is camouflaged as a reconciliation group, visited Cross River State,
where Anineh did not mince words that it discussed the forthcoming NGF
election with Governor Imoke.
Speaking to newsmen, shortly after meeting with Imoke, Anenih, who
led nine members of his team, said that since the Cross River State
governor, as Chairman of the South South Governors’ Forum, is critical
to the decision as to who leads the NGF, the group discussed with him
extensively.
He, however, declined to name the candidate his group asked Imoke to
support. “He is the chairman, South South Governors’ Forum and a strong
member of NGF and as such we discussed who becomes the chairman of NGF
with him. But for now it is not for the press to know what we discussed.
When the election is held, the press will know the outcome,” he said.
Anenih also disclosed that their discussions also centred on issues
concerning the troubled Bakassi Peninsula and ceding of 75 oil wells
controversy involving Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
He said: “We discussed positively on the Bakassi matter and the 76
oil wells and I can assure you that Governor Imoke is quite happy with
the steps the Presidency has taken on it. We also discussed issues
concerning the Governors’ Forum, issues concerning South-South region
and issues concerning the PDP. And from here we will continue our visit
to other states.
The BoT chairman said that Governor Imoke used the opportunity to
express his gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan for the actions he
has taken over Bakassi and the loss of oil wells by the state. “The
governor asked us to thank the president for the actions he had taken in
respect of these issues,” he said. Speaking earlier, Imoke had
expressed gratitude to the BoT members for finding time to visit the
state.
He said: “It was an honour to the state and it was necessary that the
BoT members had to come to show solidarity to the state, especially on
the Bakassi issue and oil well.” On the lobby for NGF chairman, Saturday
Sun gathered that after the visit of the South South, the Anenih team
will move to the South East to meet with PDP governors, Messrs Theodore
Orji (Abia), Martins Elechi (Ebonyi) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu).
The team, it was learnt, is expected to move to the North Central,
from South East, to meet with the governors of Benue, Plateau, Kogi,
Bauchi, Kaduna and other states in the North who are favourably disposed
to Shema’s candidature. A source stated: “The forces against Amaechi is
not taking chances. The Anenih team is trying to muster support for
Shema, who the Presidency supports. It’s obvious that they don’t want
Amaechi to retain the position.”
source:the sun
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