By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—As the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, decides who becomes the presidential candidate,  Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, disclosed that the 28 governors of the party held the key as they would decide who becaome the party’s flag-bearer.

According to him, at the convention where the Presidential candidate of the party would emerge, the governors’ aides and commissioners will be there as they as governors will not relent in their oars to prevail upon voters to pick their favoured candidate.

Answering questions from newsmen in Abuja during an interactive session, especially on Jonathan’s aspiration, Amaechi said, “I didn’t speak, nobody spoke. Yet you people said we were not supporting President Goodluck Jonathan. How did you people arrive at that conclusion? And it is not what you say on the pages of newspapers that will determine the final outcome, I hope you know that.

“The governors will eventually sit down and discuss. Some of the delegates to the National Convention of the PDP, are special advisers/assistants or their aides. So no matter what you do, the governors will still beg their aides to come and vote.

“It is when we get to that point (National Convention) that you can accuse Niger Delta or South-South governors of not supporting the President. Please, please, it is not good to be carrying this kind of rumour.

“Some people have written about it, we did not reply. The question you should ask is when we had the Governors Forum to endorse Jonathan as the acting President, did the South-South governors oppose? The answer is no; so how did you reach conclusion.Whether before or now, it is  wrong  to say that we are not supporting the President.”

He said, the South South governors were not opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan contesting the 2011 election, adding that when the time comes, Governors of Niger Delta would speak on the issue

When asked on his relationship with his predecessor , Dr. Peter Odili, Governor Amaechi who described it as very cordial, however stressed that he wished it could be better, adding that his efforts to improve on the relationship had proved abortive though he suffered seriously when his only property was seized by the administration.