‘There is more to Amaechi’s suspension’

[TheNation]

Activists, lawyers and politicians yesterday spoke on the suspension of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the election of the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF).

The National Chairman of the de-registered Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the suspension arose from cumulative actions.

He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that there was more to the suspension than what the PDP made the public to believe.

He said the suspension carried more malice than just winning the chairmanship of the NGF.

Balarabe said the PDP with their action was sending a dangerous signal to the nation towards the 2015 elections, adding that the party must be checked.

He said: "The suspension of Amaechi was a desperate action. I am not talking as an opposition, but as a politician with greater interest in the democratic dispensation of the country. PDP has a big problem and as a ruling party, they have to show good example, rather than heating up the system all the time."

He said because of the political future of Nigeria, every politician must see the action as a warning signal which must not be handled with sentiments.

The conception of NGF, he said, was a good idea if its ideals were well exercised without external interference.

He said during the Second Republic, there was a similar forum named, "The Progressive Governors Forum".

Balarabe said the Progressive Forum was partisan then because it only took care of the progressive parties.

"But, NGF was based on the national interest as it comprised all the governors irrespective of their political parties," he said.

He said the PDP should not interfere in the affairs of the forum because it was not a PDP Forum or affiliate.

He said the Forum should be independent of any political party for it to survive.

A member of the House of Representatives, Innocent Tirsel, (PDP Shendam/Mikang Federal Constituency of Plateau State) called on stakeholders to reconcile their differences in the interest of "Nigeria and Nigerians".

Tirsel said: "In the interest of peace I would advise that the governors, as partners in progress, should be able to deal with this issue squarely, while the Federal Government should also look for a way out in addressing it.''

He advised the Presidency to parley with all the governors as a way of finding a lasting solution to the problem.

The lawmaker said the interest of the country was paramount, adding that it should be considered before any other thing.

The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum yesterday condemned the anti-Amaechi governors for refusing to accept defeat.

In a statement by its General Secretary, Mr. Akin Malaolu, the group hailed Amaechi.

It said: "We are filled with joy that in spite of the attacks on Amaechi, he still won the election. We are happy to see him appear not only in very high spirits, but also radiating hope and confidence."

Another House member, Peter Edeh (ANPP, Ezza/North/Ishielu Federal Constituency) of Ebonyi State said the controversy surrounding the NGF election was "all about the 2015 elections".

Amaechi's plan to seek redress in court, he said, would depend on evidence at his disposal.

He said Amaechi had "always" survived through the courts adding, "this is maybe another time to go and test the courts".

Deputy House Leader Leo Ogor called for amicable settlement between the two factions in the just concluded election.Ogor (PDP-Delta) said: "We must try as much as we can to be democratic in our electoral process because two people can not win in an election at same time."

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Victor Umeh, in Abuja called for the scrapping of the NGF.

Umeh said "the existence of NGF has no constitutional basis''.

The APGA chairman, who spoke on the sidelines of the launching of a book titled: "The making of an oracle'', said the Forum was threatening democracy and peace in the country.

He accused the governors of losing touch with the realities in their respective states partly because of their insatiable crave for power both in their states and at the federal level.

Umeh said the excesses of the 36 governors should be checkmated by proscribing the forum before it causes further harm to the polity.

He said: "We are tired of the activities of these 36 men who are tearing this whole country apart.

"The NGF has no place in the Constitution and should therefore not be allowed to tear us apart. Let the Forum be scrapped for peace to reign in this country.''

Umeh said the governors, through the Forum, wielded so much power to the extent of abandoning their primary responsibilities to their constituents.

He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to go beyond the forum and engage with Nigerians directly, rather than relating with them (Nigerians) through the 36 governors.

Umeh urged Jonathan to free himself from NGF's stranglehold and concentrate on the mandate given to him to lead the nation.

He said: "I think the president is paying too much attention to the governors. They leave their jobs and come to Abuja to hold the president by the jugular and I think this is not right. What Jonathan should do is to ignore this set of people and free himself from their grip, if he wants to re-contest in 2015. He should seek the support of Nigerians and not the governors. They are only 36 out of over 150 million Nigerians. Let him ignore them and continue with his job.''

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chibudom Nwuche condemned what he described as "the unnecessary attention being given to the election of a Chairman for the NGF".

He described the NGF as a voluntary club whose chairmanship was not in any way the most pressing problem of Rivers State or the Southsouth region.

In a statement yesterday, the former lawmaker said: "The people of the Southsouth are among the poorest in the country. And this is because in some states in the region, the governors, for fear of being exposed, prefer to deal with persons from outside the region who act as fronts and assist them to fritter away funds accruing to the states, representing a clear case of internal capital flight from where it is needed most.

"The Forum has seen some governors abandon their core duties and responsibilities for incessant flights to Abuja, Lagos and all over the country where they profligately expend the resources of their states, in flagrant disdain for the hopes and aspirations of those who elected them into power to lead them to the path of progress and development."

The Nation

[TheNation]