“The mark good sportsmanship is the ability to accept defeat graciously.” However, this adage is alien to Governor of Akwa Ibom State and surrogate of the Presidency, Godswill Akpabio, who was commissioned to ensure that his colleague from Rivers State is not re-elected as Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
To this end, Wednesday, four coaster buses loaded with miscreants came into Rivers State from Akwa Ibom State, for the militant demonstration, urging Governor Rotimi to rescind his decision to contest the chairmanship of NGF.
Huhuonline.com investigations reveal that the pro-Jonathan group had begun collecting signatures from governors since weeks before the elections, with the intent to subvert Ameachi. However, at the open secret ballot elections on Friday, some of them switched allegiance.
Having adopted Jonah Jang as consensus candidate, Akpabio, acting on the orders of Presidency, used a red pen to engrave that Jonah Jang had been chosen as Chairman of Governors Forum (see document).
However, at election venue, upon the arrival of the governors, the anti-Amaechi groups initially insisted on consensus over an election. They had hoped that this would make it possible for them to swing the outcome in their favour.
Huhuonline.com gathered that this position was thoroughly canvassed and debated, but the governors eventually decided to vote for their preferred candidates. Gov. Amaechi defeated his rival, Gov. Jonah Jang by a three-vote margin.
As huhuonline.com reported previously, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi has been re-elected as chairman of the NGF, after defeating Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau State who polled 16 votes while he polled 19 votes of the total 35 votes that was cast. Gov. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State was absent from the meeting.
However, as soon as Akpabio’s dream of stopping Amaechi at all costs was foreclosed, he hurriedly called a select group of journalists to the Akwa Ibom State Governors Lodge and paid them to push out the signed document showing the signature of governors, including that of Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, who was not present at the election and therefore did not cast any vote.
Nevertheless, according to the NGF constitution, picking of forms ought to have ended by midnight on Thursday May 23, 2013. But at about 3pm on May 24, 2013, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State sent in a letter of intent to enter into the race. Ideally, this should not have been so but for the sake of peace and the unity of the forum, the pro-Amaechi group did not contest this clear breach.
Governor Jang’s entry into the race was, according to sources, as a result of a decision by a few northern governors and some members of the PDP Governors’ Forum to pick a consensus candidate outside Shema and Yuguda.
The thinking was that Jang might be less contentious. They also agreed to pick Mimiko as his running mate in the hope that this will sway the South-West.
Thirty-five governors all cast their vote and the tally was 19:16 in favour of Governor Amaechi. There was no abstinence.
Governor Uduaghan served as returning officer for Governor Jang.
All 35 governors who were present voted and the votes were counted in the presence of all.Huhuonline.com can disclose.
RESOLUTION OF NIGERIAN GOVERNORS AS PEDDLED BY GODSWILL AKPABIO
We the undersigned Governors of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) having taken cognizance of the state of the Nation and the perception of the Nigerian people, do hereby resolve as follows:
1. That we thank the outgoing Chairman, His Excellency, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State for his leadership and achievements.
2. That we strongly agree for a change of leadership of the Forum from May 2013 to May 2015.
3. We hereby therefore elect His Excellency JONAH JANG of PLATEAU STATE as the new Chairman of the Forum.
Signed:
1. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom)
2. Dankwmbo F. H. (Gombe)
3. H. S. Dickson, Esq. (Bayelsa)
4. Garba Umar (Taraba)
5. Suswam Gabriel (Benue)
6. Mr. Peter Obi (Anambra)
7. Idris I. Wada (Kogi)
8. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo)
9. Jonah D. Jang (Plateau)
10. Muktar R. Yero (Kaduna)
11. Sullivan I. Chime (Enugu)
12. Martin N. Elechi (Ebonyi)
13. Isa Yuguda (Bauchi)
14. Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta)
15. T. A. Orji (Abia
16. Ibrahim S. Shema (Katsina)
17. Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe)
18. Liyel Imoke (Cross River)
19. Dr. AbdulFatah Ahmed (Kwara)
