The factional Vice Chairman of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Olusegun Mimiko, and the National Chairman of
the Labour Party, Dan Nwayanwu, have questioned video clips recorded during the
NGF election held last Friday in Abuja.
On Wednesday at the democracy
lecture delivered by the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute for
International Affairs. Bola Akinterinwa, in Akure, Mimiko who is also Ondo
State Governor described the release of the 10-minute video clips as the height
of propaganda by the pro-Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s camp, challenged the
originators to release the three-hour recording of the entire process.
Mimiko reportedly said:
“Nigerians should ask the
pro-Amaechi’s group why he presided over an election, which he is also
contesting. I specifically raised that issue and insisted that he must resign
but his supporters maintained that he should supervise the poll as a sitting
chairman.
“They asked me whether I
resigned my position while seeking a re-election for a second term in office
and I replied them that it was not the same thing, because the NGF is like an
association; not a democratic institution which had its existence entrenched in
the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“When it was obvious that we
could not guarantee the source of the ballot boxes and ballot papers brought by
Amaechi, I protested again that we should conduct the election openly by
raising up our hands in support of our preferred candidate, again, they
rejected.
“The ballot papers they
produced were without serial numbers, and we discovered this was a fraud; hence
there were protests.
“They never captured all
these facts but merely recorded the fraction of the process, which was in line
with their pre-determined agenda. I challenge them to release the clips which
will cover the entire three-exercise.”
The Punch reports:
Nwayanwu, who also
described the purported emergence of Ameachi as the factional chairman of the
NGF as a fraud, said he ought to have given up the claim to NGF chairman when
it was obvious that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, had pitched its
tent with Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state.
He also said since
election had never been held to produce the NGF Chairman, the emergence of
Amaechi could not have been in comformity with the regulations setting up the
organisation.
The LP chairman said
the fact that 18 out of the 35 governors that voted attended the meeting called
by Jang as NGF head, cast moral burden on the 19 votes Amaechi purported to
have got in the election held a day earlier.
Nwayanwu said since
the days of Governor Adamu Abdullahi of Nasarawa State to Dr. Bukola Saraki of
Kwara state, election had never been held for the chairmanship position of NGF.
He, therefore, wondered where Amaechi got his legitimacy from.
He said, “Amaechi
should not allow overzealous and anxious politicians to destroy his future. He
is still young, about 48 years old now. He should go back and reconcile with
his party.
“A party is always
supreme. If he cannot abide by the philosophy of the PDP, he is free to leave.
He can join the APC or come to LP; but in our party, the party is always
supreme.”
Photo Credit: Punch
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