GOVERNORS AT WAR OVER AMAECHI

The plot to remove Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is not over ,at least for now,according to indications last night.

Although,the first move to terminate his headship of the all- powerful forum on Thursday ended in a victory for the governor, the anti-Amaechi forces have returned to the drawing board to re-strategize.

Fresh pressure is being mounted on the governors by political forces outside of the NGF to put Amaechi “in his proper place.”

His ‘offence’ is his alleged presidential ambition ahead of 2015.

There are speculations that he is being proposed as running mate to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State to seek the presidential ticket of the PDP.

He abd Lamido have dismissed the speculations.

The matter recently sparked a dirty war of words between Amaechi and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,Elder Godsday Orubebe.

The Nation gathered yesterday that the anti-Amaechi forces are not about to forgive him for daring to threaten President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office,moreso when the governor is from the South South like the President.

The Governors Forum is already divided over the issue.

Rooting for Amaechi are: Sule Lamido(Jigawa);Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso( Kano); Aliyu Babangida( Niger); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo);Adams Oshiomhole (Edo ); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos );Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun);Kassim Shettima (Borno);

Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe); Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Abdulfatahi Ahmed (Kwara); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo).

Against him are: Godswill Akpabio(Akwa Ibom);Henry Seriake-Dickson (Bayelsa); and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina).

The position of the other governors is uncertain for now.

The pro-Amaechi governors are making their own move by launching a counter-move by wooing their colleagues on the need to preserve the sanctity of the Forum.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that although no date has been fixed for the election of a new chair for the NGF, horse-trading continued yesterday.

The forces against Amaechi increased last night following what a source described as the governor’s “holier-than-thou” attitude and disrespect for the presidency.

The forces are of the opinion that with a good candidate, the governors could buy into the “change” campaign to checkmate Amaechi.

A source said: “Consultations to get Amaechi out by some forces continued on Friday. It was surprising that Amaechi could secure a simple majority to amend the constitution of the NGF to allow its chairman to run for second term in office.

“With the stage set for the election of a new chairman, they are looking for a candidate who could challenge Amaechi and win the poll.

“But they have not been able to zero in on a candidate who could be acceptable to the six parties that had produced governors. They are PDP, ACN, ANPP, APGA, CPC and Labour Party.

“To destabilize Amaechi’s plan, some forces are contemplating ceding the chairmanship to the opposition parties since there is no law which makes it compulsory for the PDP to lead the Forum.”

Investigation yesterday showed that three governors have openly identified with the need for a change of leadership, 17 others(including Rivers slot are be for Amaechi, and 16 are rated as match-makers whose votes could determine the next chairman of the NGF.

It was learnt that pro-Amaechi governors were mostly drawn from members of the newly formed All Progressives Congress(APC) and a few radical ones in the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and those who have mutual respect for the Governor of Rivers State like Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

The match-makers, who none of the parties could predict their position as at press time, are Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara); Isa Yuguda(Bauchi); Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi)

Ramalan Yero (Kaduna); Idris Wada (Kogi); Jonah Jang(Plateau); Gabriel Suswam(Benue); Peter Obi(Anambra); Theodore Orji (Abia); Martin Elechi(Ebonyi); Liyel Imoke(Cross River); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto)

Garba Umar (Taraba); Sullivan Chime ( Enugu ); Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe).

Another source gave an insight into why some forces are desperate to remove Amaechi and what could make the election dicey.

The source said: “The race for the NGF chair is dicey because a simple majority is needed to crown a new leader. With the forces against Amaechi, he has to work hard to secure this simple majority of the votes.

“Since the rumours of a likely Governor Sule Lamido-Amaechi joint presidential ticket in 2015 filtered out, the presidency has been unsettled by the threat posed to the second term aspiration of President Jonathan. Although the two governors have denied any aspiration for the presidency, Jonathan and his foot-soldiers are not taking it lightly. They have been treating every action and utterances of Amaechi with suspicion.

“Other sins of Amaechi are the row with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan over the demolition of the Waterfront in Okrika; support for a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipreye Sylva when he was battling for political survival against President Jonathan; the crisis between Bayelsa and Rivers over oil wells which almost dented the image of the presidency; the disagreement between the Governors Forum and the President on Excess Crude Account, Sovereign Wealth Fund and constitution amendment on tenure system; cold war with the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe over East-West Road; holding the presidency to ransome during the election of the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and members of the National Working Committee(NWC) and the hijack of PDP structure by governors elected on the platform of the party.

The face-off with Orubebe exposed the desperation of some forces to deal with Amaechi.

Orubebe had said in part: “Unfortunately, the man (Amaechi) has forgotten that it was by the grace of God that he became the governor of Rivers State . He has forgotten so soon. He has arrogated to himself, powers that he does not have. It is God that has powers.

“Today, he sees himself as the governor of governors and he begins to feel that he is even bigger than the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But I want to let him know that God is still God. He must have respect for the Presidency. He must have respect for the President of this country.

“It is sad. It is unfortunate that people from the South-South, even governors, particularly Governor Rotimi Amaechi, have no respect for the President of this country. I think this is the right time we should let him know and I have decided to speak because this is the time to speak.”

Source: The Nation