konknaijaboy | On 12, Aug 2013

by Isi Esene

 

The controversy trailing the chairmanship position of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) continued yesterday with a faction of the group meeting with the Plateau governor, Jonah Jang.

All the nineteen governors loyal to the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi who won the May 24 NGF chairmanship election with 19 to 16 votes stayed away from the parley called by Jang.

Two previous meetings called by Jang at his factional secretariat located in the Maitama District, Abuja were similarly boycotted by the pro-Amaechi governors.

Reports say the meeting was attended by Theodore Orji (Abia); Martin Elechi (Ebonyi); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); and Umar Garba (Taraba Acting Governor).

Deputy Governors who represented their principals were those of Anambra, Gombe, Kogi, Kaduna and Cross River.

Drama, however, ensued at the end of the meeting with the governors objecting to Jang’s reading of the meeting communique. Sources say the governors complained that his voice was not audible enough and subsequently advised that his deputy, Governor Olusegun Mimiko executes the task.

In reading the faction’s communiqué, Governor Mimiko announced that the splinter group had set up a five-man committee to review their constitution. The committee, which is to be chaired by Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, has Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Theodore Orji (Abia), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Mimiko as members.