Lagos state governor Babatunde Raji Fashola has applied to withdraw the suit he instituted against Governor David Jonah Jang of Plateau state over the chairmanship position of the Nigeria Governors Forum.
Mr Fashola through his lead counsel, Yemi Osibajo sought leave of an Abuja high court to allow him withdraw the legal action against Governor Jang who is a factional chairman of the NGF.
Lawyer to Governor Jang, Tayo Oyetibo however told the court that it was too late in the day for the Lagos state governor to bring such a motion, on the grounds that parties in the suit have already joined issues with each other.
Hearing of the motion has been fixed for September 9th 2013.
Governor Fashola had dragged his plateau state counterpart before the FCT high court challenging his claim to the chairmanship seat of the NGF.
Giving rise to the suit instituted against Jonah Jang of Plateau State by the Lagos state governor, was the election of a chairman to head the Nigeria Governors Forum sometime in May where the governors of the federation gathered and after a three hour meeting where an election was held too, the Director-General of the Governors Forum, A.B. Okauru announced the result of the elections, which showed that Governor Amaechi scored 19 votes, against 16 votes scored by his opponent and Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, meaning the Rivers state governor returned elected as the chairman of the NGF.
But some members of the forum led by Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom state rejected the result and described the election as a sham.
Addressing reporters after the election, Governor Akpabio claimed the ballot papers were not serialized and that Mr Amaechi did not step down prior to the election.
Governor Akpabio and 18 other governors in attendance at a meeting of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governors had taken a resolution proclaiming their support for Mr Jang as the new Chairman of the Forum.