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Tag: Jang

  • Amaechi calls for NGF meeting on Wednesday

    Amaechi calls for NGF meeting on Wednesday

    Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rotimi Amaechi on Monday fixed the first meeting of the Governors’ forum after his re-election in May for Wednesday in Abuja.

    Despite Amaechi winning the election last month by beating Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang by 19 votes to 16 votes, Jang had gone ahead to lead a faction of NGF as he claimed that he was the consensus candidate of 19 governors prior to the election.

    While the Amaechi group was yet to call a meeting, the Jang faction called a meeting of NGF last week, Monday 17th June, 2013, which was only attended by 16 governors.

    But the Amaechi’s invitation for tomorrow’s meeting issued by a Press Officer of the NGF Secretariat, Chidimma Onyenalim reads: “There will be a meeting of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Wednesday 26th June, 2013. Time: 8.00pm prompt. Venue: Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, No. 5 Justice Mohammed Bello Street, Asokoro, Abuja.”

  • PDP, NGF crises caused by 2015 ticket – Jang

    PDP, NGF crises caused by 2015 ticket – Jang

    The Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, has said the quest for the 2015 presidential ticket was responsible for the crises in the Peoples Democratic Party and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

    He made the remark at the end of the meeting of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.

    “We know this whole thing is about 2015. But I want to let them know that 2015 is in the hands of God. Let us wait and see,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying at the meeting.

    Jang insisted that he remained the authentic chairman of the NGF and promised to make peace with the other governors keeping away from the meetings presided over by him.

    “In a big party such as this, you will expect these crises to happen. PDP is solid and if some opposition thinks they will use our members to break our ranks, they are wasting their time.

    “By the time we finish our National Executive Council meeting, PDP will come back stronger,’” he said.

    The Secretary of the BoT, Sen. Walid Jibril, said the wrangling in the party formed part of the discussion at the meeting.

    “Details will unfold at the NEC meeting on Thursday.

    “We discussed matters connected to the progress of our party in preparation for the NEC meeting coming up on Thursday.

    “We want to assure you that details of the activity will be properly communicated to you after the NEC meeting,” Jibril said.

    He explained that as an advisory body, the BoT cannot enforce its resolution until it is ratified by NEC.

    President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Muhammad Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekwerenmadu and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, attended the meeting.

    Others were former PDP National Chairman, Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

     

     

  • NGF: Amaechi dares Jang over govs’ meeting

    NGF: Amaechi dares Jang over govs’ meeting

    •Plateau wants discussion on revenue allocation

    •Ameachi and co to boycott

    •Jonathan may host Jang group

     

    Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and his Plateau State counterpart Jonah Jang, are poised for a fresh test of their claim to the leadership of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) after Jang summoned a meeting of the governors.

    He wants them to discuss the stalemate over the monthly Federation Account Allocation.

    State Commissioners for Finance had walked out of the FAAC meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

    Jang is disputing last month’s election of Amaechi for a second term as chairman of the NGF. The Rivers governor defeated Jang by 19 to 16 votes.

    Jang, however, insists that he emerged by consensus having been endorsed by the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF).

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the pro-Jang forces in the presidency are taking advantage of the governors’ desire for cash flow to encourage the Jang faction to summon a meeting of the NGF.

    It was gathered that the forces in the presidency designed the plot to prove that Jang is actually in control.

    The factional meeting is also meant to finally determine the loyalty of the 23 PDP governors by the presidency and deal with the rebellious ones.

    But pro-Amaechi governors have made up their minds not shun the meeting because Federation Account Allocation Meeting is not within the purview of the NGF.

    Findings have also confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan may receive the Jang faction in audience on Monday under the pretext of seeking the NGF’s position on the revenue sharing crisis.

    A source said: “The Presidency wants to use Jang faction’s meeting to prove that it is backing this camp. It is obvious that the meeting is at the instance of the forces in the Presidency.

    “They are desperately trying to secure the presence of at least 20 governors at the meeting because they were hurt that only 16 governors attended the inauguration of Jang faction’s secretariat of the NGF in spite of the alleged claim that Jang won the election.

    “They have not been able to get up to 18 governors as at press time to undermine Amaechi. But they are unrelenting in their plot. They said they are out to seal Amaechi’s fate.

    “For PDP governors, especially those from the North, it is a booby trap to test their loyalty and determine who they voted for at the NGF election.

    “This will enable the PDP leadership to deal with them including the hijack of the party structure from the rebellious governors and their godfathers ahead of 2015 poll.”

    A governor, who spoke in confidence, said: “As part of the secret agenda of Jang’s meeting, the factional NGF will later be hosted by Jonathan in order to confer legitimacy on Jang’s leadership.

    “Already, governors in Jang’s camp are aware of the plot to visit the Villa on Monday for legitimacy. The itinerary is known to only a few strategists of Jang.

    But the governors loyal to the authentic chairman have vowed not to attend the session convened by Jang.

    Another source added: “They are joking, they will fail in their bid to give NGF leadership to Jang through the backdoor.

    “Most of us will stand by the mandate we have given to Amaechi because he was duly elected. We will make sure they do not have the number. They want to be defeated the third time.”

  • Monthly allocation crises: Jang summons emergency NGF meeting

    Monthly allocation crises: Jang summons emergency NGF meeting

    Plateau State Governor and factional chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Jonah Jang, has summoned an emergency meeting of the Forum to resolve the financial dispute arising from the monthly allocation meeting.

    The emergency meeting is to hold at NGF’s secretariat located at no 2 Nana Close, off Nile Street, Maitama Abuja by 6pm tomorrow.

    The monthly allocation meeting held in Abuja last Friday between the Minister of finance and commissioners of finance of the 36 states ended in a chaos.

    The state commissioners in attendance walked out on the Minister of Finance within just thirty minutes into the meeting.

    They also reportedly turned down pleas by the minister to return to the meeting.

    The cause of the dispute was not clear but it was suspected to be over the sharing formula offered by the finance minister.

    A statement by Jang in Jos yesterday read: “In view of the impasse arising from the federal allocation account committee meeting, an emergency meeting of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum has been convened in Abuja.”

    The statement added that all the state governors will meet with President Jonathan by 9 pm on the same matter.

    It therefore urged all the governors to endeavor to attend the meeting in person.

     

  • Plateau has entered post-conflict era, says Jang

    Plateau has entered post-conflict era, says Jang

    THE governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, has declared that the state has entered into a post-conflict era, following the total restoration of peace to the state. Gov Jang, who disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the Government House, said: “By the grace of God Almighty the Jos crises have come to an end because this government can beat its chest that a lot of sacrifices have been made to achieve peace in the state. According to Governor Jang, “The task before the state government now is to focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction because we are no longer talking of conflict prevention. There is no more conflict in the state. “We have sat down as a government to review the prevailing atmosphere of peace in the state during the recent midterm review of our administration, and we realized that we need to gear up efforts towards making this peace sustainable and long lasting through deliberate government policies and program.” Jang, however, said he will not force the Federal Government to withdraw its troops from the state, saying the decision to withdraw soldiers from the state would be left for the Federal Government to decide when it deems fit. He said the state government is more concerned with the need to concentrate on its post-conflict program, aimed at rebuilding confidence, mutual love and coexistence among citizens of the state.

  • Jang condoles with ex-deputy Tallen over father’s death

    Plateau State Governor Jonah David Jang yesterday visited his former deputy, Dame Pauline Tallen, over the death of her father, Pa Paul Katiem. He was 102.

    Jang led a high-powered government delegation to Dame Tallen’s home in Rayfield, Jos, the state capital, at 11.30am.

    Jang and her erstwhile deputy had not met since 2010, when they fell apart over political ambitions.

    They shook hands yesterday at Mrs Tallen’s sitting room. The governor was received by the most senior member of the Katiem’s family, Pa Anthony Homsook.

    Jang expressed the condolences of his administration and the people of the state to the bereaved family.

    He said: “The people of Plateau State and the Geomai people should be celebrating the death of late Pa Paul Katiem for lasting over 100 years on earth.

    “The late Pa Katiem accomplished his life’s desires before death; he was no doubt the oldest man in the state until his death. And he died in the Lord.

    “I, therefore, wish to, on behalf of myself, my family, Plateau people and entire Nigerians, commiserate with the family and Geomai people for this death. I encourage the family not to mourn this death but celebrate it.”

    Jang assured the family that the late Pa Katiem will be accorded a state burial.

    The governor waa accompanied by his deputy, Amb. Ignatius Longjan; Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Shedrack Best; Chief of Staff to the Government House, Pam Bot; Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yiljap Abraham; Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Sylvanus Dangtoe Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Olivia Dazyem; as well as Commissioner for the Environment, Mrs Serah Yusuf.

  • Amaechi to Jang, Mimiko: you lied about NGF poll

    Amaechi to Jang, Mimiko: you lied about NGF poll

    Fayemi: no hidden camera

    Protest at National Assembly

     

    THOSE advising Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman Rotimi Amaechi to step down for peace to return to the group got some bad news yesterday.

    The Rivers State governor vowed not to step down from the chairmanship, which he retained in last month’s rancorous election.

    A factional NGF, led by Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, has emerged, raising tension and drawing blistering criticisms from the public. In some circles, it is thought that there will be peace, should Amaechi step down.

    But, Amaechi, who was at the NGF Secretariat, Abuja to reassure the management and staff that the crisis would not affect their work and salaries, told reporters that he would stick to the mandate that was freely given to him by his colleagues.

    Besides, he said Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his Plateau counterpart, Jonah Jang lied about the election.

    The Jang faction has opened a secretariat, but Amaechi stressed that there could never be two secretariats. He urged the Jang faction to return to the fold in the interest of development of the country and the masses.

    Asked whether he would step down, the governor said: “No, No, No. That is a mandate that was freely given and I will stick to that mandate.”

    “The election has come and gone, like I said after the election… It was a test for democracy and democracy won at the end of the day. All we can do as democrats that were elected by the people is to uphold democracy and stand by democracy.”

    Amaechi went on:”I honestly do not know why the disagreement. I don’t know why. I believe that my brothers and colleagues will see reason why we should stop distracting the country and get the country united to focus on development because at the end of the day it is about legacy; it is about what we will leave behind for the people.”

    Noting that Nigeria should be able to manage its democracy and election, he warned that care should be taken to ensure that what is happening now does not affect the stand of Nigerians towards the 2015 general election.

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has said that he did not vote during the election, but Amaechi said: “Again, tell my brother Mimiko that he voted. If he still says he did not vote, I am willing to go with him to his church, Redeemed Church. We’ll kneel down at the altar and say it before God.”

    He went on: “I want to urge Jang -because he said he is a Christian -to know that God watches over everybody and whatever you say, say it according to God because beyond NGF you and I know that there is heaven and you can’t go to heaven if you don’t tell the truth and stand by the truth. I am not saying he is not saying the truth; I am not saying he is not standing by the truth; I am just saying that nobody can go to heaven when he is not saying the truth.”

    Appealing to the Jang faction, he said: “There is no special benefit that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman is getting. I don’t see why there is this disagreement. When I read them saying I am desperate; desperate for what? I am only proving a point that Nigerians are allowed to run for any post they want to run. And when they do and they are elected, they should stick to their mandates. That is the only point.

    “My brothers who are complaining, not about the election … should come back and let’s work together. They must be willing just as we are willing to accept. It is not really a battle; it is about God. I usually tell people, ‘don’t win the battle and lose the war’.”

    “I think all of us should come together and work for the interest of the nation and for the interest of the poor masses. We should not allow our personal interest to override that of the nation. It is important we consider the interest of the nation,” Amaechi said.

    He also pointed out to the governors in the other faction that Nigeria Governors’ Forum is not about one particular party or the other, but for the interest of all.

    According to him, he only needs support from four quarters – God, Nigerians, Governors and the President.

    “When we say President, it is because he is the President of the country and all of us must be loyal to him, but my employers are the governors. If they wake up tomorrow and say ‘chairman you have to go’, then I will go. But they must wake up and say so. Not somebody saying it on their behalf.”

    On the NGF constitution, Amaechi said there was no controversy between the two sides on the articles contained in the constitution before the election was conducted.

    “Now that we have emerged, they are now saying that the constitution is not correct. They were quoting that same constitution to subvert the election we would have held earlier. As much as possible, the strategy on our side is not to be confrontational.”

    “I think we should work together for the interest of the country. Poverty is everywhere. Poverty in 1970 was 30% or 31% but what is it now? It rose to as much as 70% in the last one year.”

    To the NGF secretariat staff, he said: “It was a meeting of 36 governors and then I think that whatever the issues are will be resolved. I think that we should focus more on those issues that unite us, those issues like fight against poverty, fight against polio and malaria. These are things that are killing the poor.

    “We are busy here at Abuja and different state headquarters talking about NGF election, when indeed Nigerians are dying of poverty and hunger.

    “I think that as a secretariat you should focus on those issues. Forget the internal dynamics of the politics of NGF. We are colleagues. When we talk among ourselves, you will understand that there are underlining factors that are making them to behave the way they are behaving that you cannot take away. It is usually things that happen sometimes; it is beyond the control of the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, but either way be rest assured of you salaries.”

    Also speaking at the meeting yesterday, the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said: “As far as we are concerned, it is a period of sober reflection and healings. There are moves on all sides to ensure NGF stands on the side of truth. The NGF is not about the election that just held; it is about governance and development in our states.”

    “Some of you are already confused about which NGF you work for; there is only one NGF. Governors will come and go, but NGF will remain.”

    Apologising on behalf of the 36 governors for the NGF crisis, Fayemi said the allegation that a camera was hidden to record the election’s proceedings was incorrect. The recording, he said was done in the open by a governor.

    He also maintained that there would be legal issues if anybody is found impersonating the NGF websites and other illegal actions.

  • Jang and his gang

    Jang and his gang

    Almost two weeks after 35 of Nigeria’s 36 state governors met in Abuja to elect a new set of leaders for their association, the Nigeria Governors Forum, and we are nowhere near knowing who actually got the nod of the governors to be their chairman.

    Though a winner (Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State) was announced at the end of voting, the loser’s camp led by Governor David Jang of Plateau State is claiming victory.

    But while the result declared by the returning officer showed that Amaechi got 19 votes as against 16 for Jang, no other result has been produced, so far, to show that Jang and not Amaechi was duly elected.

    So, apart from the usual noise of rigging that we often hear from losers after every election in Nigeria, no concrete evidence has been put in the public domain by Jang and co to back their claim. The allegation of rigging has not been proven either. And his response to a video recording of the event now on YouTube was a tame condemnation that it was immoral for whoever made that recording to do so; the facts contained in the video he could not fault.

    And in the face of all this, Jang went ahead to open an office for his faction of the NGF which he says is authentic and even had the gut to lead his gang to the presidential villa in Abuja to pay homage to President Goodluck Jonathan who not only received them but met with them behind closed doors, an action that could only mean his official endorsement. So in the eyes of the president 16 is higher than 19 and the candidate with the least number of votes can actually be declared the winner as long as it helps his own cause. That sadly appears to be President Jonathan’s understanding of democracy.

    The implication of this for our democracy is quite obvious, but for those who chose not to see it, giving victory to the loser in an election without recourse to the court or going through due process of challenging the outcome can only mean one thing for our democracy, disaster. What becomes of the time tested dictum that the majority carries the vote?

    Next week will mark the 20th anniversary of the June 12 election, when Nigerians voted in a presidential election but their votes were not allowed to count.

    With the majority clearly in favor of a particular candidate that the ruling military junta was not comfortable with, the powers that be then would rather annul that election than allow the majority to carry the day. And so the election of Bashorun MKO Abiola as president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on June 12, 1993 was annulled by military fiat and with it went the 3rd Republic. The will of the majority was subverted and Nigeria went into crisis. You know the rest of the story.

    It does appear that we have learnt nothing from that experience. No matter how imperfect an election was the outcome must be respected as long as that was the wish of the majority. If the military had allowed Abiola to assume his mandate, it was possible Nigeria could have fumbled and wobbled then (but definitely not crumble, as the anti June 12 forces then wanted us to believe) if he didn’t perform well, but the people would only have blamed themselves for that choice and would have changed him at the next election. We lost that opportunity and it took us a long time to get it back in 1999 and now we are toying with it again.

    The NGF election might look small and may be insignificant in the context of the larger politics, but the message we are sending by this long drawn dispute over who won the chairmanship portends danger for our democracy. If in an election involving only 35 electors and we are still alleging rigging then what happens when there are 70 to 80 million voters? An election among state governors who are supposedly members of the political elites and yet we are still disputing the outcome?

    All the state governors have been a let down in this matter and they should be ashamed of themselves. What are they teaching the rest of us ordinary mortals? But the greatest let down here is President Goodluck Jonathan. His denials notwithstanding, the whole furore over the NGF election is all about his second term bid. He feels that a Rotimi Amaechi led NGF would be injurious to his ambition to return to office in 2015. How he arrived at his conclusion is still baffling. What can Gov. Amaechi do if Nigerians believe Jonathan deserves another term in 2015? But does the President deserve another term? Has he done enough to earn our votes again in 2015?

    I think Jonathan is just a failed president looking for someone to blame for his failure. Trying to cast Amaechi as the stumbling block to his second term chance, if he has any chance at all, is simple escapism. Jonathan should ask himself this basic question. Are Nigerians better off now than they were when I took over? If he answers in the affirmative, then he should ignore the NGF, both Amaechi’s and Jang’s factions and throw his hat into the ring for the 2015 presidential election and wait for the people to decide. If he deceives himself by saying yes when he knows that he has not measured up to expectation, he will definitely fail at the polls. Nigerians would reject him and nothing will happen, the threats of Asari Dokubo and his fellow thugs notwithstanding.

    But before we get to that election the president and his group have to be very careful about what they say and what they do. Lest they plunge this nation into further crisis. Parading Jang and his gang as the real NGF and threatening any PDP governor that refused to fall in line is not the right way to go. If truly Jonathan is the leader of the country, instead of meeting with a faction of the NGF, he should call a meeting of all the 36 state governors and sit down with them to resolve the crisis in the Forum. This will serve not just his interest but the larger Nigerian interest.

    For Governor Jang much more is expected of him as an elderly person and he should apply the wisdom of an old man and not lent himself to being used to cause the downfall of this democracy. He should not be a tool in the hands of Jonathan and wife to fight their ‘enemy’ real or imagined. He should let Jonathan carry his cross, fight his battle. If the NGF goes down, Nigerians will neither forget nor forgive Jang. If truly Jang won as he insists, then he should provide the evidence, if not he should keep quiet and not heat up the polity unnecessarily. As for the rest of his gang, particularly Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, I reserve my comments. Those who know him well say he is just behaving true to type. They say he is a serial betrayal; a man of low or no principle; a fair weather politician. What can one say other than to watch, hoping he doesn’t end up destroying himself politically. Yoruba can forgive anything, everything and anybody, but not betrayals. He should ask the Akintolas. Yoruba don’t forget, and the time would come one day when questions would be asked about his conduct in this present dispensation. That time is near. And as we say here, a three year old pounded yam can still burn the finger.

    The Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi would also do well by reaching out to the other 16 governors who for one reason or the other did not vote for him. I am sure the founders of the NGF adopted the consensus option in choosing the chairman of the forum in the past to avoid this kind of division that an election, especially among a group of equals could bring. Now we have seen the wisdom in that and can appreciate it better. But that is not to say that electing the chairman was a bad idea, after all we are in a democracy, but governors are expected to be mature enough to rise above the kind of pettiness that often accompany election disputes in Nigeria. We expect a lot better from them and Amaechi should show that he is or can be better by extending a hand of friendship to the other camp, including the President’s and prove that the trust of the majority of his colleagues who preferred him to Jang and indeed that of millions of Nigerians are not misplaced.

    The NGF must rally together and remember what brought them together; fighting for the interest of their people. Anything less will only bring the forum public scorn and hatred, irrespective of who the chairman is.

     

  • Jang and his NGF

    Jang and his NGF

    Plateau State governor and factional chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Jonah Jang played out the hypocrisy that is the stock in trade of our leaders, when he apologized for the problem that dogged recent election of the forum. Receiving a solidarity delegation on his purported election as the forum’s chairman, Jang had promised that under his leadership, corrections would be made and efforts intensified at reconciliation.

    He said during his tenure, the forum will work out a structure for rancor free elections and he regarded himself as an instrument in the hands of God to unite and reconcile the forum.

    Given what we know of the conduct and outcome of that election, it is a big surprise that these statements are coming from Jang. This is a man who by all accounts, lost to the Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi by 16 votes to 19 in a freely contested and fair election. Instead of accepting its outcome, he and some of his colleagues embarked on a smear protest that cast serious slur on their integrity as governors.

    They complained of weird and inexplicable grievances that many have found difficult to understand. Brandishing a list of 19 governors who had in April purportedly indicated the direction of their support, the protesters sought to deceive the public that it should be taken as reflecting the outcome of voting.

    Yet, they voted. The votes were counted; results announced and Amaechi declared winner. Then they began to talk of signatures and all that trash. We began to hear that Amaechi should have resigned before contesting.

    Amateur video footage from one patriotic governor put a lie to all that. The same governors who sat tight while gunning for a second term had the temerity to talk of resignation. What a bare faced hypocrisy! Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko scoffed the video recording on the ground that it was not all embracing. He said aspects of his contributions that Amaechi should resign from his post before contesting were not shown in the video. He also spoke of his contribution that the election should be by open balloting which was also overruled. Mimiko appears to be contending that the power of incumbency tiled the balance in favor of the Rivers State governor. That could as well be. But it is the same incumbency power that his sponsors deployed to advantage to extract questionable commitment from him to vote for their preferred candidate. Those who opposed open balloting and the resignation of Amaechi before contesting were not oblivious of the game plan of the now protesting governors. They wanted to monitor the actual voting of those they had previously obtained their signatures for some inexplicable reasons. How free and fair would such election be? Why compel the governors to sign before election if the intention is not to influence the process? So, it is a matter of one group outsmarting the other. However, the absence of the observations of Mimiko in the video clip did not in any way, encumber its credibility. It did no collateral damage to the fact that votes were cast, counted and announced before their eyes. At any rate, those were the high points of that exercise that should attest to its credibility.

    If the dissenting governors were that serious on some of these issues, they should not have allowed the election to hold. By consenting to the ground rules and voting, they lost the moral ground to latch on to these excuses to fault its outcome. Had their preferred candidate won, Mimko and co. may not have had any cause to complain.

    Yet, it was from the same election that Jang is laying claim to the leadership of the forum. If that election was flawed as we are being persuaded to believe, from where did Jang derive his mandate to lead a faction? If the pro-Jang governors were honest in the matter, there were two options open to them: reject its outcome and call for a fresh election. But they had a mindset. They had been primed to a leadership headed by Jang irrespective of the outcome of the pool. That was why our governors had to embark on very embarrassing protests unbecoming of their elevated offices. It was a monumental embarrassment to behold. There is nothing wrong with the Plateau State governor apologizing for the misconduct of his colleagues. They really misbehaved and Nigerians still deserve unreserved apology from them.

    It is shameful for the arrow head of that misconduct to be parading himself as the forum’s chairman even as he is apologizing for the problem on which basis he lays claim to that post. The minimum expectation in the circumstance would have been for him to repudiate his claim to that office and congratulate the authentic winner of that election. But to hold his questionable mandate with one hand and be rendering apology with the other is the height of deceit. He even talks of uniting the forum and working out a structure for rancor free elections. He also sees himself as an instrument in the “hands of God to unite and reconcile the forum”.

    Jang is entitled to his views on the issue no matter how absurd that may seem. But the question that he needed to answer is which mandate is he referring to and from where did he derive it? Jang does not have the mandate of the governors and therefore cannot lay claim to any. And he now talks of God using him to unite and reconcile the forum. It is difficult to fathom how this can happen. Rather, the baggage his dissenting colleagues have placed on his back will further weigh down and polarize the forum to the point of irrelevance and disintegration. The Bible says, we should not use the name of God our father in vain. It appears that references by Jang to himself as an instrument in the hands of God in respect of the contrived crisis in the forum, amounts to using the name of God in vain. It is a sad reminder to the charade that played out during the 2003 governorship election. In one South-south state, an ambitious governor who had massively rigged himself into power by hook and crook; appeared in church the next day with his entire family, mounted the pulpit, singing and dancing for what God had done for him. And he got away with it. Because God is very forgiving and lenient, all manner of people use his name in vain without fear of immediate repercussions. But all such people should be wary of His wrath some day.

    This writer has great sympathy for Jang. Not for any other reason but for the conspiracy of enemies of peace to make Plateau State uninhabitable through serial killings, maiming and destruction of valuable lives and property.

    Most of the times I have watched him on screens or in the newspapers, the impression I get is that of a governor fighting organized conspiracy from very powerful forces.

    He comes across as a man who knows his detractors but very handicapped in squaring up to them. He has not been allowed, through these contrived plots to have his vision of that state come through. Such a man deserves our collective sympathy. Jang should therefore have been saved the avoidable burden which the factional chairmanship of the governors’ forum is to him. He is talking in a manner that will erode the sympathy and respect he had enjoyed from discerning members of the public before now. Obviously, the forum is heading for the abyss. And unless the winner of that election is allowed to exercise his mandate, we should consider the forum dead. Then, history will record Jang as the instrument in the hands of those who brought about that pass. That is the foreboding verdict.

  • Letter to Governor Jang

    Letter to Governor Jang

    My dear governor, I had seen you as one to be respected because, on account of age, alongside Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, you are the oldest in the Club of 36. You also won my sympathy when the federal government sought to clobber you to submission, especially during the Yar’Adua administration. I loved the courage you displayed in the face of barefaced persecution and the resistance you put up when the federal authorities attempted to snatch the state from you. I thought your military background was being put to positive use.

    I had therefore thought that, given your own experience, when the same federal authorities decided to pick on another target, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State , you would stand with the victim. Rather, you chose to support the oppressors. I was stunned.

    It is really out of character as the history of the Benue-Plateau people is that of progressive politics and resistance of evil. In the period leading to independence and in the First Republic , the late Chief Joseph Tarka put up a heroic battle resisting feudalists who wanted to subjugate the people of the Middle Belt. If it were possible for Tarka to look back today, I would not be surprised if he began another movement against people like you who have chosen to denigrate and desecrate the consistent stand of the people for justice.

    Dear governor, what really do you need again? What do you stand to lose? Twice, as a military man, you were appointed state governor. You retired as a one-start General and, since taking to politics, you have been elected governor twice. After your current tenure, you are barred from serving in that office again. All you could aspire to is a seat in the Senate or appointment as minister. Is that worth the reputation of your people, even if you no longer care about yours.

    Next year, Mr. Governor, you will be marking your 70th birthday. I would have thought it is about time to start planning how to mark it with dignity and honour; as a hero of your people and the Nigerian nation. Your latest activities in not only contributing to the destruction of the NGF, but actually yelding yourself as an instrument to bring it about is about the most shameful I have seen in recent times.

    How could a body of 36 so-called elders of the political system, go into their closet with a view to electing a chairman and come up with two different results? The report presented by the NGF Director General and supported by a video recording of the meeting and a survey of participants indicate that Amaechi was the preferred choice, but because the President is He-who-must-be-obeyed, the President’s men swung into action and setteled for you as their whip.

    Again, I ask, what could be your motive for accepting this odious task? Could it be that the EFCC’s hold on you is so tight that you had to act against your conscience? Could it be that your desire to move to another plane in your political pursuit is so consuming that you had to appease the god of PDP to give you a chance?

    Whatever may be your reason for accepting the dirty assignment, I am convinced that the last has not been heard of the episode. I had thought that elders like you would be bringing similar episodes in our past to the attention of younger ones like us. You probably think this is all about Amaechi. No, it is about Nigeria . You have set in motion a chain of events. If by your action, you set off an explosive and bring the roof down on us all, the future generation would remember you for the part you played.

    At first, I was tempted to write President Goodluck Jonathan who obviously is the man behind the crisis rocking. But, because so far, he has continued to deny this self-evident fact, and is too steeped in the juice to change his way, I have chosen to address you, believing that as one who claims to be a Christian, you could still turn back. I hope your own conscience is not like Madam Ayoka’s who tried to hand a people’s victory to usurpers. Elder, it is not too late to denounce falsehood and embrace the truth. It is not too late to wash your hands off this iniquitous act. It is not too late to enroll in the rank of heroes and quit the side of villain. At the very least, you could join the likes of Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed in calling for a truce.

    Sir, I wish you well.