— We’ll resist attempt to take over Rivers, Akwa-Ibom – Forum
By Samuel Ogidan
Abuja
What appears to be a serious crisis is at the moment looming in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the emergence of Ondo state Governor Olusegun Mimiko as the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDPGF).
His emergence, it was gathered, did not go down well with some governors on the platform of the party as some of them are kicking against the choice and have, consequently, petitioned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to wade into the matter before it generated to a full blown crisis.
A reliable source at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja told our correspondent at the weekend that the NWC would hold a crucial meeting with all the party’s state governors today on sundry issues relating to how to move the party forward as well as the chairmanship of the forum.
The aggrieved governors, it was also gathered, had protested that the choice of Mimiko did not follow the due process bearing in mind that Mimiko had defected to the party only recently.
Mimiko was adopted as the chairman of the Forum last week at its meeting attended by six governors and two deputies, who represented their governors.
The PDP Governors’ Forum was floated to drum support for the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan, following the crisis that broke out in the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) that led to the emergence of the then Rivers state Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the then Plateau state Governor Jona Jang’s factions, respectively.
It would be recalled that the then Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom was picked as the pioneer chairman of the forum and since he was not returning, a new chairman had to emerge.
A member of the NWC of the party, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, has confirmed the receipt of the petition of the aggrieved governors over the emergence of Mimiko.
He said the NWC would be meeting the governors today, but declined further comment.
Meanwhile, the PDPGF has told the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that it would resist any attempt to take Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states “through the back door.”
The governors have also rejected claims by certain groups that governorship elections did not hold in the two states in the last elections.
The forum, in a statement issued by its coordinator, Osaro Onaiwu, called on the citizens of both states to “protect their states from desperate political vultures, who do not mean well for them.”
It said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is the legally authorised agency that conducts elections, has already said that after investigations that credible elections were held in Rivers.
It said the outcome of the Akwa Ibom governorship elections should not be a surprise to anyone as the last PDP governor performed tremendously well and that the people of the state had no reason to change course.
The governors lamented the “abuse of freedom of speech” by what it described as self-acclaimed observer groups “who made spurious allegations about the elections to please their sponsors.”
It called on the security agencies to reign in on these groups as they were capable of disrupting the peace with their utterances.
The forum also decried the boast of the APC to take both Akwa Ibom and Rivers through the electoral tribunal, noting that the only attraction for the APC “is what they perceive as the premium revenues of the two states.”
The governors declared that any attempt to take the states “through the back door” would be stiffly resisted by the PDP.