THE perceived rift between President Goodluck
Jonathan and Rivers State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, is set to take a
dramatic turn tomorrow, as both parties test their mights in Abuja.
Information
at the disposal of the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that the Rivers State
governor, who is leading a faction of the Nigeria Governors Forum
(NGF), had fixed a meeting of his faction to clash with a mid-term
dinner to be hosted by President Jonathan on the same day.
Amaechi’s
invitation to governors for the NGF meeting, scheduled for tomorrow,
was sent out on Monday afternoon, with details of the agenda being
received at the government houses of governors loyal to his faction.
In a release signed by Chidinma Oyenalim and sent to the media, the
venue of the meeting was fixed for the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge at
Asokoro, Abuja, and set to begin at 8.00 p.m.
It was, however,
gathered that the president had, weeks ago, fixed the same day, at 8.00
p.m for the mid-term dinner with governors.
The dinner with the
president, Nigerian Tribune gathered, was meant for all governors, as
the invitation went to all the 36 state governors.
“The stage is set
again for another clash between the Rivers State governor and the
presidency, as the governor is said to have fixed the meeting of the NGF
at the same time President Jonathan had earlier fixed to host all the
governors for a mid-term dinner. Both events are scheduled for Wednesday
night,” a source said.
One of the governors loyal to Amaechi
faction said on Monday that the invitation for the NGF meeting had been
received and that he was, however, set to attend the dinner with the
president.
“There is a limit to personal interest as against
national interest. The task that we have is to keep Nigeria one, protect
its integrity, while also attracting certain projects and appointments
to our state,” the governor said, adding that he would attend the dinner
called by the president, because he had no quarrel with the president,
though there are problems within the NGF.
However, another pro-Amaechi governor told the Nigerian Tribune that he would be at the meeting called by the Rivers governor.
“We have confirmed today the invitation for the NGF meeting and we will
be there. We have to support him since we put him there,” the governor
said.
Sources also confirmed the agenda of the Amaechi-led NGF meeting to the Nigerian Tribune.
A copy of the agenda indicated the items to include chairman’s briefs
on the new, fresh and subsisting litigations; update on Federation
Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), Excess Crude Account (ECA) and
Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF); polio eradication initiative; Post-NGF
election disagreement; NGF and its partners and its strategic plan.
Meanwhile, Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has faulted the
call by the president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Okey
Wali, for the proscription of the NGF, saying the call negates the
provision of the constitution on Freedom of Association.
While
declaring open the 2013 Law Week of the NBA, Benin branch, on Monday,
the governor said “recently, I watched the president of the NBA, saying
in Yenogoa, Beyelsa State, that the NGF should be discarded. I think the
factor of location influenced his conclusion. He betrayed his oath to
defend Nigerians on the right to associate.
“One of the fundamental
rights of every person, including governors, presidents, is the right of
association. If presidents have the right to African Union, to United
Nations, to all the other formal and informal gathering, how can the
president of a learned community suggest that the NGF be proscribed on
account of difficulties, whether 16 is more than 19, although he is
unable to provide the answer.
“If we unlearned people don’t know,
the learned people should know. Then if learned people don’t know that
19 is more than 16, then I suggest that all of you should be
proscribed.”
Oshiomhole said when a nation was led by characters who would not stand by the truth, then that nation was doomed.
“I want to submit that the environment and the overall circumstances,
known and unknown, that led the NBA president to call for the freezing
of the right of governors to associate borders on corrupt practice,” he
added.
According to him, “anybody who keeps quite in the face of
compelling facts is not doing the nation any good. In any case, I do not
need the governors’ forum to do what I have to do. All I need is the
Edo forum.”
The governor reiterated his opposition to the revenue allocation formula, saying “we must give Abuja less money.”
He said Nigerians should stop lamenting that 14 years after, Nigeria’s
democracy was not delivering to the people, saying that the beauty of
democracy was that the people had the power to hire and fire.
“Since
Nigerians know the party that has been at the helm since 1999, it is in
their hands to decide if they still want the party in power or not,” he
said.
NGF can’t become opposition to FG —Jang-led faction
The
Governor Jonah Jang-led NGF has reviewed its activities, warning that it
would not allow the NGF to be an opposition platform to the policies of
the Federal Government.
“Governor Jang is committed to ensuring
that the forum is not used as an organ of open defiance and opposition
to the policies of the Federal Government, but, instead, one that will
work in synergy with all tiers of government for the common good of our
nation.
“This new approach is already yielding positive results, as
evidenced by the amicable settlement of the federation and excess crude
accounts sharing imbroglio that has lingered for too long,” the
Director-General of the faction, Osaro Onaiwu, said.
According to a
statement issued by Onaiwu, in Abuja, on Monday, the NGF set up a
committee led by Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State to work out ways to
resolve the disagreement.
Source: Tribune
