Fiery lawyer, Bamidele Aturu and the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday tongue-lashed President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for attempting to make the Governor of Rivers State and winner of the Nigerian Governorship Forum (NGF) a victim of selfish political manipulations.
According to Aturu, the behaviour put up by the open losers in that election including Governor Jonah Jang, his supporters and sponsors was disheartening even albeit unsurprising.
“First, to be sure, in all democratic settings it is sacrilegious to question the procedure of an election in which one took part after the result of the election, particularly when the procedure is not known to have violated the Constitution of the association or of any known democratic norm,” Aturu said.
“It is therefore extremely childish, and irrationally so, that some people who claim to be governors can openly identify with the irrational rejection of the result of the NGF Election. I believe no word can be too harsh to deprecate the unbecoming conduct of those governors who have rejected the result of the election.”
However, he described the NGF an immoral assembly that ought to be dismembered by all means necessary because it is simply another avenue for unnecessary waste of public funds.
“I have no problem with governors forming a social club; but by all means let them not fund their ‘extracurricular’ social activities with our resources. As it stands today, the governors attend the NGF meetings with funds belonging to the states. This is unacceptable.
“The fact that such a social club exists in rich America is not a reason we must spend our lean resources facilitating club activities for our governors. The NGF is a reflection of the frivolous predilection of the ruling elite. It is not different from such clubs as POWA, NAOWA and Civil Servants’ Wives Associations and similar idle organisations.
“I would be glad to no end if the undemocratic rejection of the result of its chairmanship election terminates the NGF as we know it. Even, if it does not, we, as a people have the duty to ensure that we kill the NGF. I do not know any progressive purpose it serves.
“Indeed I can point to its reactionary politics and policies. Was it not the same NGF that supported or even incited President Jonathan to remove the mythical subsidies on the prices of petroleum product? So, let all the fora die, that is, let PDPGF, NGF and all GFs die. It is in the interest of our democracy that they die,”
Also, the Lagos State House of Assembly described the Pro-Jonathan governors as behaving like neophytes since the election into the chairmanship seat of the NGF took place last Friday. The House described the behaviour of the anti-Amaechi governors as one that portrayed them as political neophytes and enemies of democracy in Nigeria given their diabolical roles in the election.
According to Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Segun Olulade, the governors who went ahead to make a pronouncement against the re-emergence of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi acted in subversion of the ideals of democracy.
“It is very disheartening and misleading to the upcoming generation of Nigerians that 35 astute politicians and Chief Executive Officers of states of the federation could not manage an election among themselves, to the extent that some of them could not even adhere to the result of the election conducted where they were physically present and voted without duress,” Olulade said.
“The alleged collection of signatures of some governors before the conduct of the election that reproduced Amaechi and the allegation of foul play after the said election speaks volume of the culture of treachery and rigging that characterises the PDP since most of the governors who perpetrated the act were PDP governors who must have rigged themselves into office during the 2011 general elections.”
The House blamed the Presidency for meddling in the affairs of the NGF, saying that the motive of President Jonathan and his lackeys is to ensure that the governors do not have a common front, adding that the script of the PDP had just been acted out by the anti-Amaechi governors in the last election.
The lawmaker maintained that Governor Jonah Jang should be more concerned about how to bring lasting peace to his crisis-ridden state rather than allowing himself to be used as a pun in the chessboard of political intrigues and antics set in motion by President Jonathan’s spin doctors.
He warned the pro-Jonathan governors to desist from acts capable of further decimating the NGF, adding that a house that is divided against itself cannot stand, also saying that the best they could do is to support Governor Amaechi as the duly elected Chairman of the NGF.
Hon. Olulade further condemned the suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi from the PDP, describing it as a demonstration of double standard and a display of the reactionary tendency inherent in the party.
He charged Amaechi to be relentless in his efforts towards defending democracy and good governance in the country since he has the backing of Nigerians who are commending the resilience and democratic posture he has so far put up. He added that Amaechi should not waste time heading to the law court if the victimisation continued, because his God would continue to support him.
