By Emmanuel Edukugho
Respite is still a long way off for embattled Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, suspended by the PDP for anti-party activities, having won the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) chairmanship election, defeating pro-Jonathan candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau.

Instead of conceding defeat or going to court, Jang declared himself NGF chairman with the support of some pro-Jonathan governors, splitting the forum into two factions.

The faction loyal to Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, held a meeting on Monday (17/06/13) probably to test the ground on who has the majority support of the governors.

Amaechi and Jang

Saturday Vanguard gathered that 16 governors were present while the governors of Kaduna and Adamawa states were absent and sent apologies.

To form a quorum for the meeting, 12 governors at least must be in attendance. Going by the 16 governors present at the meeting called by Jang, Amaechi seemed to have the majority because 36 governors make the NGF. Those absent were more than those present.

A major outcome of the meeting was the passionate plea by the governors for the recall of suspended Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, which the National Working Committee of the PDP agreed to, but left the fate of Governor Amaechi, who was first suspended, hanging in the balance. Also it was believed that the Jang faction of NGF was against the removal of out-of-favour Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, was reported to have assured at the meeting that Tukur won’t be touched, prevailing on his colleagues bent on removing the party chairman to rethink and drop the plot. But Tukur had insisted that he won’t resign, banking on President Jonathan’s support.

Wamakko’s suspension had sparked protest in Sokoto State which the PDP feared could cause electoral damage to it, come 2015.

PDP governors absent from the Jang faction meeting include Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers who had challenged Jang for impersonating, Kano’s Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sule Lamido (Jigawa) who has kicked off his presidential bid with posters in Abuja, smarting from an Olusegun Obasanjo endorsement for the job, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Sokoto’s Wamakko whose suspension had just been lifted, to mention a few.

Said a political observer: “The recall of Sokoto Governor, Wamakko, is good for the PDP because the state had been under the grip of ANPP before Wamakko decamped. If the suspension had not been lifted, Sokoto would have dumped PDP.”

Governor Amaechi is not relenting in his defiance to party directives and the presidency while at the same time purportedly declaring his allegiance to President Jonathan but fraternizing with opposition elements seeking to take over. He had warned Governor Jang to stop parading himself as NGF chairman, saying there is only one chairman of the forum, duly elected on Friday May 24, 2013 which was himself.

Amaechi insisted he is the Chairman of NGF and had not called for any meeting of the forum that took place last Monday at the instance of a factional chairman.

While calling on Jang to stop this impersonation, he reminded him that Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has filed a legal action to stop him (Jang) from parading himself as NGF chairman.

Amaechi still commands the majority in the governors followership and could translate positively for the opposition if the situation remains as it is, come 2015. But one political analyst told Saturday Vanguard that it does not mean that 16 states will vote for Jonathan if eventually he emerges the PDP presidential torch bearer in 2015.

“The persistent crisis in NGF wll take sometime to be resolved, but not without casualties. Now, all that are happening is politics ahead 2015 at the expense of tackling infrastructure deficit, high unemployment, corruption, insecurity and crimes,” he said.

According to the analyst, it has been acknoweldged that election for NGF chairman was held and a winner emerged. But the loser later claimed he won.

“It’s all about interest and 2015. Governor Amaechi has technically decamped, eventually suspended by PDP and now in fraternity with the opposition bent on wrestling the presidency from the incumbent. Under such situation, will President Jonahan just sit down and watch Amaechi and his fellow co-travellers romp into Aso Rock?”, he asked, adding that “the Jang faction loyal to Jonathan is the only option to stop Amaechi and his cohorts.”