BY DANIEL IDONOR
ABUJA—NIGERIA’s 36 serving state governors yesterday congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo on their victory at last Thursday’s Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national convention.

The governors, however, urged the duo to hasten the planned process of wound healing initiated by the president, even as they  advocated for the implementation of what they described as consolidation, appeasement and reconciliation, CAR, process.

Speaking to newsmen during the Presidential Summit on Water which took place in Abuja, governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, said he was speaking on behalf of his colleagues.

The self-acclaimed “chief servant,” said Nigerians had begun to ask what comes after the president’s victory at the primaries, saying people were interested in a process of consolidation, appeasement and reconciliation in order to fend off any attempt by the opposition to seize power from the PDP in the general election.

Babangida, who wondered why he was chosen to speak for the governors, even when Peter Obi, deputy chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, was also present on the occasion, however, warned against handing power to new comers, saying this would amount to starting all over again.

Babangida, whose state was one of the five that voted against the Jonathan/Sambo ticket, said “People are asking me about CAR and the opposition’s attempt to unseat the largest party in Africa but to bring anybody new is to start all over again.”

He added that the governors were willing to support the Federal Government to achieve its goal of providing portable water for all, as well as becoming one of the most developed countries by the year 2020, saying that with the combination of technology and political will to implement programmes, the goals were achievable.

We need portable water. We have to give this administration the chance to do more. We can not give a neophyte because we have gone too far,” he declared.