The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Amaechi

  • Amaechi, Aliyu, loyalty pledge and Jonathan

    Amaechi, Aliyu, loyalty pledge and Jonathan

    Moments after he was re-elected as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) last Friday, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State gave a short and, for someone who cuts a fairly radical or activist image, unusual statement about democracy and President Goodluck Jonathan. The election was victory for democracy and proved the resolve of the governors to affirm the unity of the Forum, he said with a strong hint of exaggeration. But as for Dr. Jonathan, the governor felt a desperate urge to pacify him, thereby giving the impression he not only contested against the Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, but also against the president. It is not clear that everyone will agree the governor needed to pacify the president, but he did so nonetheless with extraordinary self-effacement. As he put it delicately, “We remain committed to supporting our leader, the president and commander in chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to realise the development dream of all Nigerians by reducing tension, uncertainty and insecurity in our beloved country. We want to pledge our steadfastness and resolve working alongside Mr. President to better the lives of our people as we render transparent and accountable stewardship.”

    But Mr. Amaechi is not the only one pledging loyalty to the president, even though it is all but obvious the pledge was cynical and perfunctory. Governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, also felt compelled to offer the same peace offering when the president visited Niger State for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Zungeru Hydro-electric Power Project. Responding to widespread report he was warring against the president, Dr. Aliyu remarked effusively: “Those thinking that there is war between the Niger State government and governor and the president should swallow their spit. We are one; we recognise that the people of Nigeria elected him and we respect that. If we do not respect and follow you (Mr. President), God will ask us. So we are saying, Mr. President that we are for you…We are with you and I hereby pledge my government and people’s loyalty and support to you.” But shouldn’t everyone pledge his loyalty to the constitution?

    It is unlikely Dr. Jonathan would believe the two governors. By lashing out furiously against Mr. Amaechi through the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) immediately after the NGF poll, the president gave indication he was impervious to the governor’s blandishments. And while he may also not be able to lash out against the Niger State governor as he would like, he will at least take the governor’s protestations with a pinch of salt. On their own, it is unlikely the two governors think the president would be misled by their red herrings. Why, then, don’t we cut to the chase by showing one another our true colours and forswearing the cultural nuance of groveling before power? It is true that by the Nigerian constitution the president has nearly limitless power to do and undo, yet both the spirit and the letter of the constitution do not grant the president such powers as many imagine. But by groveling before the president/head of state and deferring to him sycophantically, as has been done by the political elite over the decades, the president can be forgiven for imagining he transcends the constitution and has the power of life and death over every citizen. After all, the police, secret service and the army believe everyone is a subject to be treated shabbily, not a citizen whose rights are non-derogable.

    Let Mr. Amaechi enjoy his NGF victory unabashedly, notwithstanding the compulsive bellyaching of his traducers and the aggressive intrigues of Dr Jonathan and the PDP. And beyond the routine exhibition of official courtesies, let Dr Aliyu also put his foot down whenever the need arises, for in truth, there is really no pleasing this president, at least not with the scheming gerontocrats around him disturbing the peace of the country. Blessed will be the day when the president climbs down from his high horse, and the people climb up from their genuflecting and groveling sewers, and we all meet at the table of reason and moderation where everyone knows his limits within the sacred confines of the constitution.

     

  • The Amaechi saga

    The Amaechi saga

    In the last one week, the country has been on edge over a minor election. Yes minor, in the sense that it involved a few people. Just 35 persons went to the polls and all hell was let loose over the outcome some minutes later. The row, which is yet to subside, led to the suspension of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) four days ago. The countdown to the election was as interesting as what happened during and after the exercise.

    Amaechi was the man to beat in the election and everything was done by the powers that be to incapacitate him before the race.

    Long before his tenure as chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) lapsed on May 24, there were moves to ensure that he did not return to the post. Before now, the governors conducted the Forum’s affairs without let or hindrance from the Presidency. The Forum served as a club for the governors where they could gather not only to discuss the problems of their states but also of the country. After all, they are also Nigerians.

    In their meetings, it is possible that they might have also broached other issues, such as the Excess Crude Account (ECA) and Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which the central government may not be comfortable with. With the PDP also having the highest number of governors in the NGF, the party leadership would have wondered why the Forum is giving its government a hard time. To the PDP, the NGF should be a rubberstamp body, which should take anything that the Federal Government throws at it hook, line and sinker.

    The party does not believe that the NGF should be independent. What independence are we talking about when we are in power? the party may have wondered, forgetting that the Forum is a club of equals, with the chairman as the first among equals. This does not, however, make him superior to his colleagues. As the head, the chairman should tread a bit gingerly so that he is not seen as using his position to promote his party’s ideals and programmes. He occupies a delicate position and he must be able to strike a balance between his job and his party’s expectations.

    Most importantly, he must not be perceived by his colleagues as treating them as second fiddle, all because they made him their chairman. Yes, they made him chairman and can remove him if they think he is using his office to pursue selfish interest. Amaechi is not the first NGF chairman, but he is the first to come under this kind of fire all because some people suspect that he is using his position to promote his political ambition. These people believe that he is interested in the 2015 presidential election.

    As I have argued in this space in the past, I don’t see anything wrong if he has such ambition. But the man has consistently denied nursing such ambition, yet they do not believe him. Amaechi’s travails began almost a year ago, if not even earlier. Before those with plans to do him in started planting his posters and those of his Jigawa State counterpart, Sule Lamido, on the streets of Abuja and some other states in the North, Amaechi had a run in with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, an Okrika, over the demolition of the Port Harcourt waterfront, said to be populated by her kinsmen.

    The waterfront is not being demolished for the fun of it. The governor says his intention is to create the Greater Port Harcourt City from the rubbles of the water front. Must we play politics with development? The answer should be no, but those in Abuja do not see it as such. Months later, the real reason why the First Lady took on Amaechi emerged when Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godsday Orubebe accused him of using his position as NGF chair to attack Jonathan. What Orubebe saw as Amaechi’s attack on the president was the governor’s principled stand on the Forum’s opposition to the ECA and SWF. To people like Orubebe, Amaechi is using the Forum to feather his political nest and so must be stopped, at all cost, from getting a second term.

    Indeed, everything was done to stop Amaechi from returning as NGF’s chair last Friday. The Presidency, which is today denying having any interest in who becomes NGF chair, was involved in the stop – Amaechi – plot when PDP governors were invited to a meeting at the Villa in March. At that meeting, the president made it clear that he could no longer work with Amaechi as NGF chair. He directed the governors to pick another person among them to lead the group. It was at that meeting that the PDP Governors Forum was born. Its mandate, among others, was to search for a ‘suitable’ candidate for the NGF chair.

    The president was said to have settled for Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State. Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State later joined the race, barely 36 hours to the election, indicating that the anti-Amaechi group still had a lot of homework to do. It became glaring that the group had not got its act together when Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang entered the race, four hours to the election. How can a man win an election that he stood for some hours to voting? What magic did Jang think he could perform in four hours to defeat Amaechi, who had prepared well and long for the race? Except, of course, if he was relying on other means of winning.

    What is happening in NGF

    today is not good for our

    fledgling democracy and it is sad that those who should grow it are the ones working against its growth. What is it about being NGF chair that our leaders want to turn the country upside down for? Why have we turned the issue to a matter of life and death? There is no point in overheating the polity over an election as minor as this when we have the major one coming up in two years. How prepared are we for that election when we cannot conduct a simple election among 36 governors just to pick their chairman?

    If governors cannot hold free and fair election among themselves, how are we sure that those entitled to a second term among them will ensure transparency of the process in 2015? It is sad that our governors are behaving like this; what lesson are they imparting to their followers? Telling them to go and rig in 2015, come what may? Let this shenanigan stop now because no man locks horns with a man whose name, Amaechi means ‘’who knows tomorrow?’’ and wins.

    NG, one year after

    How time flies. It is one year since we lost Ngozi Agbo, our former Campus Life editor. NG was down to earth and always wore a smile, even when annoyed. She was such a lovely and pleasant person. Hardly will you know that she was in the newsroom whenever she was around because she concentrated on her work. She sat at her corner quietly working on the stories of her mentees (the budding journalists) in our various higher institutions, who are the contributors to Campus Life. Campus Life was NG’s baby and she treated all the student-contributors as her children. She called them “my boys and girls”. She was a mother hen who took her brood under her protective feathers. My dear sister, you did a good job. When I look at Wale Ajetunmobi, who now coordinates Campus Life, and Hannah Ojo, I see the marvellous job you did in grooming them. I almost wept when I read their pieces on you (see the Campus Life section). Your husband, Agbo, is keeping the flag flying, running the column which you stopped writing on May 28, last year. And your boy too is doing wonderfully well. I saw his picture on his dad’s phone the other day. NG, continue to rest in the Lord’s bosom.

     

  • Amaechi to Abuja: I’m not scared of impeachment

    Amaechi to Abuja: I’m not scared of impeachment

    Southsouth governor leads plot against Rivers governor

    AMID a grand plot to impeach him, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi spoke yesterday on his travails, saying he will have no regrets if he leaves office.

    A Southsouth governor is said to have been directed by some forces in the Presidency to fund the plot under which seven lawmakers are to be induced to join the anti-Amaechi camp.

    Of the Assembly’s 32 members, five are against Amaechi.

    But Amaechi said: “Indeed, it is only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has the guts to suspend a governor without a reason. I leave them to God and to you (the people)…. We must come together to defend Rivers State. It’s not about me; I have served eight years as Speaker, nearly six years as governor. Even if I am removed tomorrow, I am satisfied that this state, this country and history will recognise and remember me.”

    “If there is no history that I have made, the one God has helped me to make is the one that I stood out and fought for my right and became a governor. You voted on my behalf and the Supreme Court confirmed that when you people were voting, you were voting for me. But you also need to make your own history and that history is that let Abuja know that you can stand for your right, whether you belong to PDP or APC or any other party.”

    Amaechi, who was re-elected Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) last Friday, has been suspended from the PDP – a dimension he insists was unfair. He said the people’s votes must count in the choice of who becomes governor of the state in 2015.

    The governor was addressing an inter-party summit with the theme “Cohesive inter-party relations as a panacea for peace and sustainable development in Rivers State” in Port Harcourt, the state capital. He noted that any government which could not attribute its victory to the people’s votes would not be responsible to the people, adding that governments at all levels become transparent and accountable only when they fear they could be voted out for poor performance.

    Amaechi recalled his speech at a youths forum on Monday.

    He said: “If you listened to me yesterday (Monday) when I was addressing Rivers youths, I told them ‘all those from 18 and above should please get up’ and they got up. I asked them to sit down, they did and I asked again, ‘all those that have voter cards should please get up’ and a lot of them did and I said we shall punish irresponsible politicians with our cards. So what I expect from all of you whether you belong to APC, CPC, where ever you belong to, start now to mobilise the state for one man, one vote. We will not allow them intimidate us with police or anything. Instead, we shall intimidate them with our votes.”

    He stressed the need for a free and fair election.

    “Any government formed without the people’s votes cannot be responsible to the people,” the governor said, adding: “The only way government or governors or presidents or whoever can stop corruption, can stop mal-administration is when that government is put in place by you (the people) and they know that if they don’t govern well, you (the people) will vote them out. So your first demand should be that all governments must be responsible enough to allow for a free and fair election.”

    The keynote speaker and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, urged politicians to preserve and not destroy Rivers State by their actions.

    He lamented the lack of participatory democracy among political parties and the sole desire by parties to acquire and retain political power for selfish interests.

    Abe said: “In Nigeria, the evolution of our party politics has been less than satisfactory. I say this because our country today is deeply divided along ethnic, religious and cultural lines. The main challenge facing our country has been the development of national political parties that will promote issue and idea-based contest for power. In other words, the contest for power will be a contest of ideas. The parties in Nigeria have evolved into vehicles strictly for the acquisition and retention of political power. In this evolution, our political parties have lost one of the key attributes of participatory democracy, that leadership should be a contest, not of persons, but of ideas.”

    The chairman of the occasion and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, urged political parties to believe and mean well for the country they serve.

    He urged politicians to uphold the truth and accept fairness: “I believe truth must be upheld, fairness must be justified and accepted and those who think that it is enough to conspire against truth have to be exposed,” Justice Karibi-Whyte.

    He advised political office holders to work for the common good of the people who voted them to power: “We are talking about governor, the office of the governor. We admire the governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi because of his performance. We follow him because of his performance. We’ll do everything to ensure that he succeeds and the institution still carries on,” the eminent Jurist said.

    He criticised those plotting against Amaechi, calling them conspirators with a destructive motive: “The group, which, as all of us know, they are all conspirators. The conspiracy runs foul when it is directed towards a wrong motive. When it is a conspiracy, which is destructive, which is oppressive and which makes it difficult for the common man to admire what is going on, then there is a foreboding of anarchy.”

    Rivers State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu, yesterday said the directive to obtain permit from the police before embarking on peaceful protest came from Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar.

    He was apparently reacting to the statement by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi while addressing Rivers youths at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday, that he would soon lead Rivers people to protest injustice without obtaining any permit from the police commissioner.

    Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), expressed shock that Mbu could lead over 10,000 ex-militants on May 22 to protest against him and his administration in Port Harcourt, after which he said the police boss hurriedly banned protests. He alleged that he had taken sides.

    The Rivers governor also accused the police commissioner of supporting the return to the era of militancy and insecurity, where people had to raise their hands, while walking on the streets of Port Harcourt and its environs, which he said he tackled, when he came into office of October 26, 2007.

    On whether he would give the governor a permit if he wants to lead a peaceful protest, the police boss said: “Until then.”

    The Rivers police commissioner also declared that he was not in the state to satisfy any individual, but had great respect for Amaechi, while frowning on the attitude of the labour leaders, who he criticised for forcing the workers to join the two-day warning strike.

     

  • ‘There is more to Amaechi’s suspension’

    ‘There is more to Amaechi’s suspension’

    Activists, lawyers and politicians yesterday spoke on the suspension of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    The National Chairman of the de-registered Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the suspension arose from cumulative actions.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that there was more to the suspension than what the PDP made the public to believe.

    He said the suspension carried more malice than just winning the chairmanship of the NGF.

    Balarabe said the PDP with their action was sending a dangerous signal to the nation towards the 2015 elections, adding that the party must be checked.

    He said: “The suspension of Amaechi was a desperate action. I am not talking as an opposition, but as a politician with greater interest in the democratic dispensation of the country. PDP has a big problem and as a ruling party, they have to show good example, rather than heating up the system all the time.“

    He said because of the political future of Nigeria, every politician must see the action as a warning signal which must not be handled with sentiments.

    The conception of NGF, he said, was a good idea if its ideals were well exercised without external interference.

    He said during the Second Republic, there was a similar forum named, “The Progressive Governors Forum”.

    Balarabe said the Progressive Forum was partisan then because it only took care of the progressive parties.

    “But, NGF was based on the national interest as it comprised all the governors irrespective of their political parties,” he said.

    He said the PDP should not interfere in the affairs of the forum because it was not a PDP Forum or affiliate.

    He said the Forum should be independent of any political party for it to survive.

    A member of the House of Representatives, Innocent Tirsel, (PDP Shendam/Mikang Federal Constituency of Plateau State) called on stakeholders to reconcile their differences in the interest of “Nigeria and Nigerians”.

    Tirsel said: “In the interest of peace I would advise that the governors, as partners in progress, should be able to deal with this issue squarely, while the Federal Government should also look for a way out in addressing it.’’

    He advised the Presidency to parley with all the governors as a way of finding a lasting solution to the problem.

    The lawmaker said the interest of the country was paramount, adding that it should be considered before any other thing.

    The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum yesterday condemned the anti-Amaechi governors for refusing to accept defeat.

    In a statement by its General Secretary, Mr. Akin Malaolu, the group hailed Amaechi.

    It said: “We are filled with joy that in spite of the attacks on Amaechi, he still won the election. We are happy to see him appear not only in very high spirits, but also radiating hope and confidence.”

    Another House member, Peter Edeh (ANPP, Ezza/North/Ishielu Federal Constituency) of Ebonyi State said the controversy surrounding the NGF election was “all about the 2015 elections”.

    Amaechi’s plan to seek redress in court, he said, would depend on evidence at his disposal.

    He said Amaechi had “always” survived through the courts adding, “this is maybe another time to go and test the courts”.

    Deputy House Leader Leo Ogor called for amicable settlement between the two factions in the just concluded election.Ogor (PDP-Delta) said: “We must try as much as we can to be democratic in our electoral process because two people can not win in an election at same time.”

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Victor Umeh, in Abuja called for the scrapping of the NGF.

    Umeh said “the existence of NGF has no constitutional basis’’.

    The APGA chairman, who spoke on the sidelines of the launching of a book titled: “The making of an oracle’’, said the Forum was threatening democracy and peace in the country.

    He accused the governors of losing touch with the realities in their respective states partly because of their insatiable crave for power both in their states and at the federal level.

    Umeh said the excesses of the 36 governors should be checkmated by proscribing the forum before it causes further harm to the polity.

    He said: “We are tired of the activities of these 36 men who are tearing this whole country apart.

    “The NGF has no place in the Constitution and should therefore not be allowed to tear us apart. Let the Forum be scrapped for peace to reign in this country.’’

    Umeh said the governors, through the Forum, wielded so much power to the extent of abandoning their primary responsibilities to their constituents.

    He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to go beyond the forum and engage with Nigerians directly, rather than relating with them (Nigerians) through the 36 governors.

    Umeh urged Jonathan to free himself from NGF’s stranglehold and concentrate on the mandate given to him to lead the nation.

    He said: “I think the president is paying too much attention to the governors. They leave their jobs and come to Abuja to hold the president by the jugular and I think this is not right. What Jonathan should do is to ignore this set of people and free himself from their grip, if he wants to re-contest in 2015. He should seek the support of Nigerians and not the governors. They are only 36 out of over 150 million Nigerians. Let him ignore them and continue with his job.’’

    Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chibudom Nwuche condemned what he described as “the unnecessary attention being given to the election of a Chairman for the NGF”.

    He described the NGF as a voluntary club whose chairmanship was not in any way the most pressing problem of Rivers State or the Southsouth region.

    In a statement yesterday, the former lawmaker said: “The people of the Southsouth are among the poorest in the country. And this is because in some states in the region, the governors, for fear of being exposed, prefer to deal with persons from outside the region who act as fronts and assist them to fritter away funds accruing to the states, representing a clear case of internal capital flight from where it is needed most.

    “The Forum has seen some governors abandon their core duties and responsibilities for incessant flights to Abuja, Lagos and all over the country where they profligately expend the resources of their states, in flagrant disdain for the hopes and aspirations of those who elected them into power to lead them to the path of progress and development.”

  • Amaechi: my life in danger

    Amaechi: my life in danger

    The Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election fiasco may have hit a dangerous level, with Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi alleging a threat to his life.

    “I want to say the way these people at the federal level are acting, they may come after my life. So, when you pray, pray for me,” the governor, who was suspended by his party’s National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday, said.

    He spoke on a wide range of issues- his suspension from the PDP, the suspension of the Obio/Akpor Local Government executive, the police siege to the council secretariat, his continued membership of the PDP and the NGF election.

    Amaechi spoke last night at an Interactive Session, with the theme: “Consolidating on Rivers of our Dreams” at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Port Harcourt with youths in Rivers State.

    He said the NWC issued a press statement to suspend him without any invitation and fair hearing.

    “I was not invited by the National Working Committee of PDP. I was not given fair hearing. What I heard was that: why did I refuse to reinstate the suspended Obio/Akpor Local Government executive? Who suspended them?”

    The youths at the forum replied: “The Rivers State House of Assembly.”

    “Who has the power to investigate Obio/Akpor council executive?” Amaechi asked again.

    The youths replied: “The State Assembly.”

    “….So, you see the political witch-hunting? It is so ridiculous. My party (PDP) must rise above political witch-hunting,” Amaechi said.

    “Governor Amaechi did not suspend Obio/Akpor Council(executive). I hope you know, I have the power and my power is to dissolve. I can dissolve Obio/Akpor Council(executive). But I have not done that. What the Assembly is doing is that they are investigating corruption. But the party said they should not investigate corruption, is it fair?” The youths thundered “no.”

    “If they are not guilty, then they will re-instate them, but if they are guilty, then we will ask for the dissolution of the council. We have not even gone half, and the party (PDP) says ‘re-instate them’. It means that the party likes corruption. Let the Assembly resume and commence investigation; let’s see what goes on. Whether there is corruption or not, it is the business of the Assembly. I have been a speaker, and I know the powers of a Speaker and the legislature. I used it when I was a speaker,” Amaechi said.

    He advised the police to obey court orders by vacating the Obio/Akpor council premises, and allowing normalcy to return to the council.

    “What are the police still doing at the Obio/Akpor Council building? The court gave an order to the police to vacate Obio/Akpor Council; they disobeyed, and the police are still stationed there,” he said.

    Amaechi also expressed displeasure over the development in Obio/Akpor council which forced Rivers State workers to go on strike, adding that due to the absence of doctors in Government Hospitals, they (government) now transfer patients from public to private hospitals to ensure they survive.

    “The Federal Government does not care; they only stationed police at Obio/Akpor council. Even if everybody should die, they don’t care. Now the entire state will be grounded, because the police have refused to vacate the Obio/Akpor Council secretariat. They don’t want to know; we are not important to the Federal Government; we are not important at all.

    “You know what it took for us to stop militancy in the state. But only last week, they organised militants to return to the streets of Port Harcourt, is that not shameful? You all knew how the militants spent our money, raped our women, killed our parents and young men. Immediately the militants stopped protesting, the police said, nobody should protest again,” Amaechi said.

    He urged youths to pray to God to intervene, adding that there is nothing wrong as governor of Rivers State and member of the PDP to ask for his right, which the PDP is now describing as anti-party.

    Said the governor: “Internal democracy is important in our party. If they fought me by all means, and I still won the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election, what should they do? They should have joined me to thank God. Because what it means is that God has spoken. It happened when I was in Ghana; I fasted and prayed for six months, 6am to 6pm, and God made me governor.”

    Amaechi spoke on his immediate political pan, saying: “I will not leave the PDP. I will go to court…. The plane issue is same politics, pure politics. For one year plus, a minister refused to sign import permit. I’m sure you are aware of the House of Representatives Committee report on the plane issue.”

    Amaechi urged the Federal Government to allow democracy to reign supreme.

    “They should allow the police to work for the benefit of the public. And imagine, if you and I cannot go to court to seek for protection, where else can we go to? They have refused to accept the court decision. And if the police continue, we shall mobilise Rivers people to come out en masse and I will be in front to lead the protest,” he said.

    On the NGF election, Amaechi said: “You will see it on the internet when the governors were voting, all the governors were there and you will also see the counting. We (governors) agreed to voting, and all the governors voted. So, any governor who said he didn’t vote is lying against the nation because all of us are on oath to govern properly; so, we should not lie. Every governor voted; you will see the video. If we leaders of Nigeria today are refusing to accept the results of a properly organised election supervised by the Director-General of the Governors’ Forum, and somebody brought a paper that was signed in April.

    “If you check that list, it was signed in April and you brought it on May 24 after the governors have finished voting their chairman into office. That list is not part of our election. There is a rumour that they want to go to court to stop me as NGF chairman. We are ready to meet them in court but they should not go through the backdoor to get an order,” Amaechi warned.

     

  • Amaechi’s suspension . illegal, says NEC member

    Amaechi’s suspension . illegal, says NEC member

    ANOTHER big controversy erupted yesterday at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s suspension.

    He was suspended without dues process because the PDP has no Disciplinary Committee in place, a party source said.

    Only the National Executive Committee (NEC) can constitute a Disciplinary Committee for the party, the source added.

    The Rivers State Government described Amaechi’s suspension as a political witch-hunt.

    According to a top member of the NEC, the PDP has no Disciplinary Committee in place.

    The source said an attempt was made at the last NEC meeting in July 2012 to constitute a PDP Disciplinary Committee, but members could not agree on the nominees.

    The NEC member said: “The NWC headed by Bamanga Tukur cannot suspend Governor Rotimi Amaechi because Article 59.3 of the PDP Constitution says only NEC can do so.

    “I could recall that when NEC met last in July 2012, we were to constitute the National Disciplinary Committee, but we could not agree on those to be nominated into the panel.

    “As far as NEC is concerned, we have not even constituted a Disciplinary Committee. Whatever they have put in place cannot stand because only NEC can raise a Disciplinary Committee.”

    He went on: “They are claiming to be hiding under emergency; they should explain to Nigerians what was at stake to have suspended a governor from the party. But the constitution is explicit that once a NEC member has a purported disciplinary case, it is only NEC that could deal with it.

    “So, PDP members and Nigerians should ask questions on how the NWC has decided to arrogate to itself the powers it cannot wield.”

    Article 59.3 reads: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution relating to discipline, no Executive Committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, public office holder(i.e. Ministers, Ambassadors, Special Advisers, Deputy Governors or member of any of the legislative houses.”

    But a member of the NWC said the suspension was done under Section 29(2.2) (b) of the PDP Constitution.

    He said: “The NWC can take decision on behalf of NEC, if there is an urgent need for it. This section is our legal backing for suspending Amaechi.”

    Section 29(2.2) (b) reads: “The National Working Committee shall, in case of emergency, act on behalf of the National Executive Committee, subject to ratification by the National Executive Committee.”

    Rivers State Commissioner for Information Mrs. Ibim Semenitari said: “We are concerned as we believe this is a political witch-hunt. It is worrisome. The reason given is the suspension of the Obio Akpor Council.

    “This is purely a legislative matter and done in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State.”

    A United States group, the Centre for Advancement of Justice and Peace in Emerging Democracies (ICJAPED), has dismissed Amaechi’s purported suspension from the PDP as illegal, null and void.

    The ICJAPED made its position known in a statement by its Coordinator of African Region, Dr. Stephen Briggs

    The statement said: “Amaechi’s suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an affront on the collective psyche of Nigerians as well as an acceptance of the victory of Governor Amaechi in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum election.”

    According to the organization, “it is most unfortunate, tragic and odious that the PDP is taking action at this time our democracy should be seen to be growing”. “This is a clear evidence of the illegality, tyranny, blackmail, pettiness, incompetence, recklessness and arrogant misuse of power by President Jonathan and his lackeys, or garrison boys in the PDP. The only difference between this and a military government is that the players involved in the current charade are all civilians with no military uniforms. “

    “We urge Amaechi to remain unruffled by this latest move to destroy him and continue to focus on his developmental strides instead of thinking of this Jonathan contrivance which has rubbished all claims to decency, statesmanship and integrity that the President claims.

    “History will judge all of us. The destruction of our institutions and values in pursuit of petty personal interest as well as egomaniac domination of our political space will fail abysmally like a pack of cards.

    “The circle is complete and this is the time for all men and women of goodwill to stand up for truth and to resist evil. We all should rally round Amaechi.”

  • Reps, lawyers, Tsav condemn PDP over Amaechi’s suspension

    Reps, lawyers, Tsav condemn PDP over Amaechi’s suspension

    •’It’s a bad omen for democracy’

    Members of the House of Representatives yesterday criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the suspension Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    Minority Leader of the House Femi Gbajabiamila described the move as an act of desperation.

    He said: “This tells you how low a government will go when desperate. This is an accidental government. There is supposed to be an art and a science to governance but this one possesses neither. First it was the State Assembly members that were purportedly suspended and now it is the governor.”

    Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) Dakuku Peterside said it was a bad omen and a major setback to Nigeria’s quest for true democracy.

    Peterside, in a statement, said: “This is an inauspicious moment to suspend a popular governor who is not only marking his 48th birthday but was also a few days ago, re-elected by his colleagues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) as Chairman.

    “This news is baffling and a major blow to lovers of democracy because it violates the right of an individual to associate freely, to vote and be voted for in any democratic process. The NGF is not an extension of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thus not governed by the constitution of the PDP. This is also a major impediment to PDP’s future as a party as Governor Amaechi is seen in Nigeria today as one of the most outstanding governors.

    “What would it benefit a political party to suspend its most performing governor? Therefore, to my mind, this decision is not only ill-timed but ominous and capable of threatening the foundation of democracy, especially the process of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria.

    “This ignoble action of the PDP Working Committee signposts what to expect in the build up to 2015: divergent views will not be tolerated and this is dangerous”.

    Deputy Minority Whip Datti Ahmed (CPC Kaduna) said the PDP members were bad losers.

    He said: “This has shown what PDP is all about; it is about illegality and rigging. They are just giving us bad example because they are bad losers. This decision cannot stand because he has to freedom of association to vote and be voted for.

    “He has not committed any offence. Even the PDP knows it cannot stand. You cannot suspend somebody for exercising his fundamental human rights. We in the opposition are very happy about what is happening in the PDP. It is nemesis and it shows that PDP is on its way to the grave.

    “Everyday is for the thief one day is for the owner. It is the injustice that they have done that is haunting. They are expelling the democrats among. Let them suspend more we are waiting for them. This is the right time for them to join the opposition.”

    Chairman, House Committee on Anti- Corruption

    Abiodun Faleke condemned the decision. “Suspension? For exercising his right to vote and be voted for. It shows the type of party PDP is.”

    Another member, Sokonte Davis (PDP Rivers), said the action was laughable.

    He said: “It is unfortunate that this is the only time I have heard that somebody is punished for winning. If canvassing for the support of his colleagues is a crime, why is the defeated anointed candidate not equally suspended since he has opposition members like Peter Obi who supported him?

    “On the other hand, why participate in a process you expect only your party members to be lobbied? They shouldn’t have gone into the elections at all since they already have their own governors.

    “I think that this action has made the party to become opprobrious to the generality of the country. In fact , I am yet to believe that the story is true. If it is true, then all the denials that the main purpose of the Rivers State crisis is not to chase Amaechi and his supporters from the party have turned out to be lies. Those who play or want to play God should not forget that power belongs to God and he gives it to whomever and however it pleases.”

    A former Lagos State Commissioner for Police, Abubakar Tsav, said the suspension was unfair.

    He said: “Every person, who is elected and took oath of office and allegiance as a state governor, is expected to be above reproach, temperate, self controlled, respectable, reliable, impartial, dependable, honest, forthright and God fearing. The governors agreed to form an association and named it Nigerian Governors’ Forum. They unanimously agreed to hold election for the chairmanship position. Election was held and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was declared winner. A few hours later Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State who is neither the returning nor electoral officer, declared Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State as winner. Couldn’t the governors resolve this quietly or they simply want to satisfy the President? Now Amaechi is suspended from the PDP. Is this Democracy? What are the factional governors teaching the youths? A shame of a nation !”

    Senior lawyers, such as Emeka Ngige (SAN), Yusuf Ali (SAN) and Dr. Fred Agbaje condemned the NWC’s decision.

    Ngige said: “It is unfair. The National Working Committee shouldn’t have relied on the report of the faction that is at the logger head with the governor. Moreso, the NWC didn’t summon Amaechi to appear and defend his action. Anyway, there is no cause for alarm. I am sure the governor is equal to the task. What is playing out is part of the script written by the powerful forces in the PDP to deal with Amaechi. He should challenge the suspension in court.”

    Ali said the PDP was vindictive. He said: “Political party is like any other association. You are free to join and abide by the rules. But in the case of Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, there are elements of vindictiveness the way PDP is handling the matter. Nigerians are embarrassed by politics of hatred, intolerance and that everybody in the party should go to the same direction as exemplified by PDP in the Rivers State crisis. I want to believe that his suspension is out of his victory at Nigeria Governors’ Forum chairmanship election.

    “The country is faced with serious challenges like epileptic power supply, insecurity of life and property which would be tackled by government rather than dissipating energy on petty and primitive politics.”

    Dr. Agbaje said the PDP has succeeded in cutting “noses to spite its ugly faces”.

    He said: “The suspension can never demean the political ruggedness, popularity, astuteness and irokoness in Amaechi. PDP leadership is jittery and acting politically demagoguery and a clear case of infantile puerility. What is wrong in Amaechi exercising his freedom to freely associate? This is the question every right thinking member of the Nigeria society should ask PDP leadership. What PDP did to Amaechi better put thus: ile oba to jo, ewa lo bu si. (A burnt king’s house will turn out more beautiful) Tukur deserved to be commended for leading PDP astray.

    However, the National Vice Chairman of PDP, Ishola Filani, said the decision was in order.

    Filani said: “The National Working Committee (NWC) must have articulately verified their facts before they decided to suspend him from the party. Suspension is usually done with a view to investigate an offence levelled against somebody and that is what the NWC has done. This is in principle with democracy but however, I am not in any position to pass judgement on what has happened. He is only on suspension and has not been expelled from the party.”

    A member, Kingsley Chinda (PDP Rivers) said the action was appropriate.

    “ I have said the party is superior to its members. Without discipline we cannot progress, however, fairness, equity and due process must be complied with in the process,” he said.

  • Amaechi’s God-given victory

    Amaechi’s God-given victory

    RIVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi must celebrate his re-election victory as Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) with humility and gratitude to God. This is because he who God has blessed, no President can curse. No force can change what God has decreed. In the midst of tension, the one God has ordained as most appropriate in the prevailing circumstance has won.

    Amaechi’s victory is in actuality against all odds. The presidency working through Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio strained 19 governors to sign an open endorsement before the elections; but as God will have it, the governors voted with their conscience and returned Amaechi to office. Akpabio is now showing the world the pre-signed document where Governor Jonah Jang’s name was written as winner ahead of the election.

    Amaechi’s political triumph has been a wonder of light, freedom and democracy above forces of darkness, despotism and dictatorship. Right from the episode of his aspiration to become state governor, he had been confronted with serial injustices, humiliations and embarrassments – just as it was in his desire for a second term as NGF Chairman. But in all, it has become perceptible that God has been favouring him. The irresolvable contention between Governors Ibrahim Shema and Isa Yuguda was not an error but occurred in order to pave way for him. On the other side, Plateau State Governor Jang who emerged at the dying moment when the two were forced to step down rightly lost to gain the position which he was not prepared for.

    Yet, even as Amaechi has won the polls, the war is not over. The battle line for 2015 is being drawn and the hand writing is becoming clearer for people that have been blinded by sentiment and power. This is a test case on how 2015 will look like when forces of darkness will no longer comprehend the light of day. The governors, including those who voted against the winner might as well begin to see the non-viability of their contentious forum.

    In reality, the NGF brouhaha is not profiting Nigeria anything. It is sad that PDP government has continuously wasted much of the nation’s time and resources in politicking than in growth and development. The forum, with Akpabio’s haughty carriage and other governors playing the devil’s advocate for the president has polluted political atmosphere across the land with detraction to securing power and position becoming the priority.

    For Amaechi and the opposition, as 2015 approaches, more battles might be brewing which is bound to be dirtier. If Niger-Delta (ex-) militants and their leaders could be mobilized to protest publicly against Amaechi, requesting that he should step down as governor, the future of the nation, even if Boko Haram is extracted, is becoming unguaranteed.

    Just like the opposition is trailing, Amaechi might need to use this opportunity to accomplish the vision for his mission. If not, the desperate presidency with its massive manhunt tools will incessantly work to pull him down the same way the nation is being dragged down. The target would be to deprive him and his people of enjoying the rest of his political life just like the masses today are hardly benefitting from the reward of democracy under the ruling party.

    The merry-go-round Akpabio and his pro-Jonathan colleagues should realize that Nigerians are becoming wiser politically. Not many would because of ethnicity or regionalism still want to align with failure in 2015, even with the desperation to hold on to power. Just like some PDP governors denied the pro-Jonathan NGF candidate of their voting rights, many Nigerians in the South would not just vote for a failing southerner if there is a trustworthy achieving northerner in the competition. More and more, Nigerians are yearning benefiting from the good of the land above wasting their voting values on the basis of ethnicity.

    This was why the progressive governors might have read the minds of the people by securing victory for Amaechi. The outcome is an indication that there is still light at the end of the nation’s dark tunnel.

    The likes of Akpabio displayed how he has been governing the people of his state by false pretences. A leader who would always prefer to satisfy an individual in transitory power instead of commitment to selfless service to the people might not receive anticipated personal recompense at the end of the pursuit.

    So thrilled that he was empowered as Chairman of a desperately-created PDP Governors Forum to tackle Amaechi, Akpabio has manifested himself as a typical wolf in sheep’s clothing. He hardly knew how not to throw stone as a resident in a glass house. After his group failed to satisfy the master’s personal political desire, he attempted to turn issues upside down by declaring the election which he engineered as invalid. He said Amaechi ought to have stepped down before the conduct of the election, adding that there was no way an incumbent could be in office while an election was being conducted. It was as if he has forgotten that in Nigeria, like he experienced when seeking for his second term as governor, incumbents do not leave office before elections.

    If also he is still standing on his contention of rigging, emanating from the voting and verification of only 35 governors in attendance, then democracy still has a long way to go in Nigeria. The list he had prepared ahead of the election can never stand as authentic voting pattern. He might have counted the vote before it was casted. Whereas, he ought to know that some of those who signed on the list never did it on their minds but just to please him and his boss. Election is a game of numbers. All manners of manipulations used to be done during general elections, and might be thought as the way out in 2015 might not work again.

    If Amaechi who was eventually voted for by most of the governors had had been declared the loser, Nigerians would have been greatly thwarted. Akpabio needs to be taught that God will always do what He wants to do, no matter what, because power belongs to Him and He gives it to whom He wants. Evidently, Akpabio needs some education to know why he could not even deliver despite all the threats and arm- twisting. Let him understand why he and his team gambled and failed.

    Indeed, the reality of the NGF election is that it is a technical knockout for anti-Amaechi politicians. After several months of intrigues and politicking, the president failed to convince his initial candidate to step down for a newly-chosen one, and could not also convince his party governors to vote for his even tually chosen candidate. This inconsistency means that he has been weakened politically by the result of the election. He picked the wrong battle and was not ultimately honoured.

    It is distasteful that Mr. President, the number one citizen could not gather enough support within his own political party to defeat his perceived opponent. He should now be much more bothered how votes from South East and South-South will return him to Aso Villa in 2015. The fact is that nothing seems to be working in this regime. South-South is only supporting him because he is their son; not much practical benefit with impact on the life of the people.

    We must imbibe the lesson that the political future of Nigeria is greater than that of any individual. Nobody can become the authentic president of Nigeria without the support of majority of Nigerians. Most Nigerians has been crying in all corners that President Goodluck Jonathan is not performing pleasingly. It does not matter his address to the nation this week granting self acclamation for achievbements, what will impress the people is the level of positive impact of his practical performance on their lives.

    The wisdom might be for him to put sentiments and desperation aside so that he can move Nigeria forward. The nation that once had the potentiality of greatness has been stagnant for too long.

     

  • NGF: Jang blames crisis on governors’ ‘presidential ambitions’

    NGF: Jang blames crisis on governors’ ‘presidential ambitions’

    Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, the newly elected chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has blamed the crisis rocking the forum on the presidential ambition of some of its members.

    Jang, who addressed journalists at Jos airport shortly after his arrival from Abuja, said that some of the governors wanted to be the President in 2015.

    “The crisis in the governors’ forum is simply as a result of 2015 elections; some governors want to contest the presidential election but only God knows who will be the President,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying on Sunday.

    Jang, however, called for unity among the governors, pledging to lead the forum “with the fear of God.

    “As chairman of the forum, I will work with all members, particularly the former Chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi; I wish to appeal to him to fully support me just like I supported him during his tenure,’’ he said.

    Jang described his election “as the will of God’’, saying that God’s plans would always prevail over the thoughts and schemes of man.

    “I have never aspired to be the chairman of the forum; I never put my name forward to contest for the position of the forum. All I did was to ask God for His will to prevail,’’ he said.

     

  • NGF: Divided they stand

    NGF: Divided they stand

    The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) election has come and gone. But the ripples it has generated will take time than a while to settle writes Assistant Editor AUGUSTINE AVWODE.

    THINGS may have fallen apart in the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, the most elitist political group in the country.

    Less than 48 hours to its election that has generated much tension an aide to one of the governors from the Southsouth told the The Nation, that the election would end in anti-climax. He dismissed what he called “all the hype and exaggerated build up to the election.” The source maintained that nothing spectacular would happen.

    However, the outcome of the election and the developments that have followed have pointed to only one fact – it is not “case closed” yet. If anything, it has exposed the Forum to a bitter feud and internal wrangling. It has dwindled the possibility of the Forum to speak with one voice.

     Bone of contention

     The bone of contention had been whether Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi should seek a re-election or not. The Constitution of the Forum clearly gives the incumbent the opportunity to seek another two years in office, if he so desires. But among the governors, there has been opposition to the ambition of Amaechi to seek re-election. Expectedly, this led to the polarisation of the Forum into two – those for the re-election and those that are against it. The factions have spent valuable time plotting and strategising. The intrigues have been palpable. In one instance, a new body comprising of only the governors of the Peoples Democratic (PDP-GF) was formed and Akwa Ibom State Governor Goodswill Akpabio emerged as its chairman.

    But by the time the dust settled at the weekend, Amaechi was re-elected. But his victory was quickly rejected by the group, which has been opposed to his return as the NGF chair.

    Amaechi’s offence

    Amaechi’s offence, it was learnt, was that he has turned the Forum into a “trade union.” He was said to be critical of the President and his pro-grammes. Besides, it was said that his alleged ambition to contest for the position of the Vice-President in 2015 would jeopardise the chances of President Jonathan.

    According to the poll results, Amaechi secured 19 votes to Governor Jonah Jang’s 16. Since then, things have never been the same for the Forum. Jang’s supporters have discredited the election. They are: Akpabio, Jang, Idris Wada of Kogi, Gabriel Suswam of Benue, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, Theodore Orji of Abia, Peter Obi of Anambra and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi. Others are: Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina, Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna, Garba Umar of Taraba, Ahmed Abdulfatah of Kwara, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, Liyel Imoke of Cross River, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Gombe State Deputy Governor, Thaanod Rubainu. The rest, mostly from the opposition parties, are on the side of Governor Amaechi.

    Stable past

    The NGF has been relatively stable, since it was founded in 1999.Though it is not recognised by the 1999 Constitution, the Forum has grown to wield enormous power and influence. It is existence has largely been justified by the provision in Section 40 of the Constitution for individuals to enjoy the right of association

    From inception till now, the NGF has been led by five different individuals. It started with former Governor of Nasarawa State Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu from inception in 1999 to 2004. He was succeeded by former Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah who led it from 2004 to 2006. Next to chair the Forum was former Edo State Governor Chief Lucky Igbinedion. He led it from 2006 to 2007. Thereafter, former Kwara State Governor Senator Bukola Saraki took over the mantle of leadership of the Forum. He was there for the whole four years his second term lasted from 2007 to 2011. The incumbent chairman, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, took over in 2011.

    The last time a similar leadership crisis rocked the Forum was in 2011. Then, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, who had been named as the new leader was removed in a dramatic fashion. But is the Forum was not polarised. This will be the first time since its formation, that the group will split into two. Already, the camp-led by Jang has set up a parallel secretariat from where it hopes to operate.

     Implications

    The implications for the Forum could be far reaching. First, the Presidency is now at liberty to recognise and deal with the faction it endorses. Second, the masses would bear the brunt in one way or another. Any position canvassed by a governor that is not among the recognised group may not get the desired attention it deserves.

    On the other hand, it may mark be the beginning of a major realignment of forces in the build up to the 2015 general election. But will the NGF be the same again? The answer is a resounding no.