Governor Gbenga Daniel who was named last week as the new leader of the Forum was, yesterday, said to be lying low making consultations with associates as those against him sharpened the arrows. It also emerged that three Northern presidential aspirants were instrumental to the insurrection against Daniel.
Meanwhile, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State who announced Daniel’s appointment was defiant, saying that the choice of a new leader became inevitable on the basis of the recent inactivity of the Forum that has been led by presidential aspirant, Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State.
Suswam’s position was tackled by Governor Babatunde Fashola who described the selection of Daniel as undemocratic.
Fashola said the process adopted in the picking of Daniel was an affront to the country’s quest for a viable democracy.
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, in the same vein affirmed that no governor should be imposed on the NGF which he said was not a PDP Governor’s Forum but a countrywide forum.
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on his part was non committal, as he told Vanguard that the leadership of the Forum could go either the way of Daniel or Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State.
Uduaghan’s revelation of seeming indecision on the part of the governors aroused speculations that the election of a substantive chairman of the Forum could be deferred to a more politically auspicious time.
Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, was equally confident that the dispute would soon be resolved even as he justified the need for a new helmsman for the forum.
Governors gather for battle
Opponents of Daniel’s announcement were worried, yesterday, that he could use his opportunity as chairman of the Forum to inspire support for the presidential bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Daniel is coordinating Jonathan’s presidential campaign in the Southwest. Ironically, Daniel was, before his surprise nomination as Jonathan’s Southwest campaign coordinator, believed to be championing the aspiration of one of the Northern presidential aspirants now alleged to be fueling opposition to his leadership of the governors forum.
Consultation among governors
Sources revealed that Daniel had, indeed, been agreed through informal consultations among governors as the new chairman of the forum prior to the announcement made by Governor Suswam last weekend.
It was learnt that it was on that basis that Daniel was chosen to make a donation on behalf of 27 PDP governors during weekend’s fund raising dinner for President Jonathan’s 2011 presidential campaign.
Following the dinner, ten governors and two deputy governors who represented their governors resorted to the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja from where the announcement was proclaimed by Governor Suswam.
Vanguard learnt that the announcement of Governor Daniel raised concern among the three presidential aspirants who, it was gathered, got one of the second term governors to coordinate a campaign to derail it.
The presidential candidates were able to marshal Daniel’s perceived weaknesses including his troubles with political opponents at home and the factionalisation of the Ogun State House of Assembly as a reason to derail his leadership of the forum.
It was gathered that beyond these reasons, was the fear that Governor Daniel could use his position as chairman of the Forum to boost President Jonathan’s campaign.
Not surprisingly, the first attacks against Daniel were articulated by some governors believed to be supportive of some of the Northern presidential candidates.
Governor Suswam was, however, defiant insisting that the right choice had been made.
Suswam said: “We do not owe anyone apologies for our action,” adding that the change of leadership in the forum became necessary because of the long vacuum created by the absence of the former chairman, Saraki, who is currently aspiring for the Presidency in 2011.
He noted that the governors were worried by the inactivity and silence of the forum over recent happenings in the country especially the October 1 bomb blast in Abuja, hence the need for change in leadership.
He asserted that if eleven of the governors met and choose Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State as the new chairman of the NGF, the action shouldn’t elicit any friction or anxiety since it was not meant to cause any acrimony among the governors.
He was, however, quick to point out that today’s meeting of the Forum would effectively tackle and resolve any contending issue relating to the development.
Suswam said: “There is nothing wrong with the Wednesday meeting bid to resolve the matter. We need a Governors Forum that will respond to issues. There was a bomb blast in Abuja without response from the Forum. And there are a lot of other issues that had happened in this country without responses from the Forum due to our chairman’s engagement in his presidential campaigns. So what we want is a responsive leadership.”
Support for Gov Gbenga Daniel
His position was equally backed by Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who, speaking through his Special Adviser on Public Communication, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said: “We are in full support of Governor Daniel’s assumption as the Chairman of Governors’ Forum. What is more. He is a two-term governor and no invidious move should be made on an issue that is straight forward and direct.”
That position was, however, criticised by Governor Fashola, who told newsmen at the venue of the 2010 Kuramo conference: “Some members of the Governors Forum have acted in an undemocratic way. The question of who leads the forum must be a democratic process.
“It bothers me as the single national agenda in the country today is free and fair elections, but members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have chosen to usurp and subvert the will and decision of 36 governors, only 10 of them sat down to elect a new leader.
“We will put it behind us but it is really burdensome that this kind of thing can happen from a party that support’s free and fair election.”
Governor Uduaghan was one of very few governors not aligned to any of the camps as he was understood to be plotting for a reconciliation of the warring parties.
No need for the hullaballo —Uduaghan
Speaking with Vanguard on phone, the governor said: “There is really no need for the hullabaloo over who becomes the Governors Forum chairman and as I speak to you, I am not aware that anybody has been appointed, selected or elected amongst us (Governors) to become the next chairman.”
Pressed to comment of the controversy surrounding the announcement by Governor Suswam, the Delta State governor said: “Just keep your fingers crossed. We will let you know who the chairman is tomorrow after we meet. It is not something that can heat up the system as people are trying to make it look. It is a non political office.
“At the end of the day, it could be Gbenga Daniel, it could be Danjuma Goje, it could even be Gabriel Suswam or any other governor for that matter because none is superior to the other. But note that Governor Bukola Saraki is still the Chairman of the Governors Forum, until tomorrow (today) when we shall meet to choose another Governor as Chairman of the forum.”
Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, was also on the middle ground. Speaking through his Information Commissioner, Ranti Akerele, the governor said the government was more preoccupied on issues bothering on the wellbeing of the people than the fight for leadership of the forum.
He said: “The Labour government is the party of the ordinary people in Nigeria. Our governor is focused at building bridges and networking with other brother governors at ensuring quality deliverance of good governance.
“Dr Mimiko would rather be involved in what will build and grow Nigerian democracy. He would rather be a consensus builder who believes that you can get the best if there is cooperation and clear direction.”
Meanwhile, Vanguard was told last night that Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu was also in the race for the chairmanship of the Governors’Forum.
Governors against Daniel
•Ibrahim Shekarau, Kano
•Adams Oshiomhole, Edo
•Muazu Aliyu, Niger
•Babatunde Fashola, Lagos
•Bukola Saraki, Kwara
•Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti
•Danjuma Goje, Gombe
•Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo
•Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe
•Sule Lamido, Jigawa
•Mahmud Shinkafi, Zamfara
Governors For Daniel
•Gabriel Suswam, Benue
•Ikedi Ohakim, Imo
•Martin Elechi, Ebonyi
•Theordore Orji, Abia
•Peter Obi, Anambra
•Murtala Nyako, Adamawa
•Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom
•Timipre Sylva, Bayelsa
•Liyel Imoke, Cross River
•Sullivan Chime, Enugu
•Patrick Yakowa, Kaduna
•Ibrahim Shema, Katsina
•Aliyu Akwe Doma, Nasarawa
•Ibrahim Idris, Kogi
•Christopher Alao Akala, Oyo
•Jonah Jang, Plateau
•Danbaba Suntai, Taraba
Undecided
•Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Osun
•Isa Yuguda, Bauchi
•Ali Modu Sheriff, Borno
•Usman Dakingari, Kebbi
•Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers
•Aliyu Wamakko, Sokoto
•Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta
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