The recent election of the leadership of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is generating a lot of dust not unlike what has been. Any time the group, calling itself a peer review mechanism, ventured into a situation in the country there is almost always a level of dust rising. Now more than before, the NGF appears ruffled and divided over who is the right leader.
The Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi was last Friday re-elected as the Chairman of the NGF. Official results of the elections indicated Mr. Amaechi won the election by 19 to 16 votes to defeat his challenger, Jonah Jang of Plateau.
Shortly after the announcement of the result of the elections, the Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom addressed reporters rejecting the result, with the allegation that the election was rigged.
He claimed the ballot papers were not serialized and that Mr. Amaechi did not step down prior to the election.
Governor Jang further claimed he won the election in a press conference where he thanked his colleagues for the confidence reposed in him to serve them as the leader of NGF asking that every matter concerning the forum should henceforth be referred to him as the Chairman.
Debating the controversial election on Channels Television’s programme, Faceoff, the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Eric Appiah and his counterpart from Plateau, Haruna Dabin defended the roles their governors played in the NGF crisis.
