Governors also cry November 21, 2014 / in Politics 12:45 am / Comments With their aura of infallibility and perception as local gods in their states, Nigerian governors have for long been viewed as men of power with little to bother them. The story of how Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governors rallied round to confront President Olusegun Obasanjo and force Atiku Abubakar on him as a running mate in the 2003 election is one political tale of the awesome power of governors. They have also in the past helped to edge out seemingly recalcitrant national chairmen of the PDP. Dr Okwesileze Nwodo and Dr. Bamanga Tukur were two national chairmen who dared the governors and aimed to whittle down the powers of the governors by opening up the party through allowing funding from registered members of the party. Both men did not survive in office to see through to their ambitions as they were mercilessly tackled by the governors. Governors have also sustained their domination of the party through their influence in nominating members into the party’s highest national decision making body, the National Executive Committee, NEC. It is thus no surprise that the governors collectively are able to mobilise the majority of the members of the NEC to their side on many issues. However, now for the first time governors are getting a kick, albeit individually with the party establishment for the first time pushing many of the governors on the defensive. By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor Extreme Politics in Enugu JUst few weeks ago, members of the Enugu State House of Assembly were practically licking the boots of Governor Sullivan Chime. The legislators really did not think twice last August when they impeached the then deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi on the most flimsy excuse ever given for an impeachment in the country. But today, the majority of the lawmakers led by the speaker, Eugene Odo are in assertive mood rebelling against the governor. It is no surprise. Mr. Chime is approaching a political meltdown with his camp in open disarray. Trusted associates like Senator Ayogu Eze who openly called his bluff after the anointment of Rep. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as his successor and many others have openly abandoned him and many of them are now aligned with Senator Ike Ekweremadu who has apparently prevailed in the long tussle of war between the two men. Payment of courtesy calls How Chime lost out in the pecking order in the PDP is traceable to his past acts of aloofness and some say arrogance on issues dealing with the party. When he visited the national secretariat few weeks ago, he to the hurt of some affirmed that he was not one that was used to paying courtesy calls on party officials. So it was not surprising when an accident happened in the form of the resignation of the then party chairman, Vita Abba that the governor turned into panic mood with the realisation that the deputy chairman who was supposed to step in as acting chairman was an ally of his rival, Ekweremadu. His attempt to stop Elder David Aja from becoming acting chairman by the immediate appointment of an acolyte is what has turned into his nemesis with Ekweremadu in total control of the structure as it is now. Chime’s boast of once taking over Ekweremadu’s seat in the Senate and positioning his approved men as PDP candidates for National Assembly elections is now almost gone with the wind. His problems are compounded by the absence of good relations with not just party officials in Abuja, but also with the presidency. Bribery tales in Liyel Imoke’s Cross River Senator Liyel Imoke had given much to the Goodluck Jonathan project and on account of him walked away from his onetime good friend, Governor Chibuke Amaechi of Rivers State. However, today, Senator Imoke stands like a helpless orphan in the face of a seeming powerful coalition mounted against him by some of the state’s most powerful politicians. On one side in the contest is Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, the Senate Leader aligned with one of the leading gubernatorial aspirants, Jerry Agba, the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke among others against Governor Imoke and some of his trusted associates including John Eno, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on finance. Associates of Senator Imoke claim that the governor went into the ward congress elections with no fixed mind on any of the governorship aspirants, a situation that saw six of his commissioners quit the cabinet to contest. The outcome of the ward congress election has, however, been steeped in controversy with the allegation that the results produced were doctored in Abuja. The group that is against Imoke was, however, quick to go to court to stop the PDP from altering the results now with the national secretariat. Senator Emma Anosike who led the team that conducted the election was quick to come out to deny claims of malpractise and was the first to refer to an alleged N500 million bribe which he said was not true. Conspiracy against an old man - Martins Elechi (Ebonyi State) Governor Martins Elechi was one of the first to anoint a successor in the person of the erstwhile minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. That anointment was perhaps the final act of betrayal as perceived by the deputy governor, Chief Dave Umuahi, a former chairman of the PDP in the state. As party chairman, Umuahi was known to have empowered and positioned close associates in the party structure and government and was believed to have played a very key role in the election of Elechi as governor. Though he is from Ebonyi South that has been favoured by the governor to produce the successor, Elechi’s move in going above Umuahi to produce Chukwu as a successor has triggered a political explosion that is now blowing up in the governor’s face. Caretaker committee Key stakeholders in the state including the powerful Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Sam Egwu two of the five members of the House of Representatives and at least one of three senators are lined up with Umuahi against the governor. It was not surprising then that the national secretariat of the party has dissolved the state executive committee of the party and in its place constituted a caretaker committee that includes some former development area administrators sacked by Elechi. The gist in Ebonyi today is that Elechi is looking for another political platform to anchor his objectives. Uncommon Comedown in Godswill Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom When the national secretariat of the PDP made an unusual pronouncement that it was backing the decision of the governor to zone the choice of the next governor of the state to Eket Senatorial district, many believed that Governor Godswill Akpabio had wrapped up another good political deal. But that was just about three weeks ago. Now, the governor is faced with an uncommon political eruption that has seen many stakeholders in the state rise against what they claim is his attempt to foist his erstwhile Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Udom Emmanuel as his successor. The alliance against Akpabio has seen even former political rivals such as Umana Umana, the former SSG, Mr. Don Etiebet, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees and the erstwhile governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah join forces against Akpabio. The gist now is that it is the delegates list forwarded by the Etiebet-Attah alliance that has been accepted by the national secretariat, a situation that could lead to an uncommon comedown for the outgoing governor. Serikae Dickson – Presidential power play Governor Serikae Dickson still has up to two years to spend in office but his battle for re-election and supremacy has been running for almost one year. It is no surprise given the fact that he is governor of Bayelsa State, the president’s home state a development that has nurtured much intrigues and power play. Intrigues and power play The governor’s problems started after he allegedly acquiesced to the plan to zone some senatorial districts among the federal constituencies, a development that has now caused bad blood among many political stakeholders as some are supportive of it and some others are against it. If pushed to the end it is likely to affect the return of Senator Paulker Emmanuel, one of the closest associates of the president back to the Senate. Senator Emmanuel who is in his second term and is reportedly aspiring for a third term. Remarkably, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan who according to some news reports is no passionate fan of the governor is said to have lined up with the affected National Assembly members against the governor. When Dame Jonathan visited Bayelsa recently for a poverty alleviation programme, the governor was not available to meet her, but majority of the disgruntled federal legislators were all over her and she reciprocated by lauding their representation in the National Assembly. Also in Benue and Adamawa In Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam is faced with the difficult challenge of producing his successor and at the same time positioning himself for his next political adventure in the Senate. A two term member of the House of Representatives, two term governor, Suswam’s next political shot of becoming a senator may itself prove to be the hardest nut to crack for him. He is engaged in battle with a powerful former national chairman of the party who is no push over. Though it was claimed that the seat had been loaned to him, Suswam, but Gemade is fighting tenaciously. Suswam may be prevailing in Benue but it is claimed that he has an uphill battle at the national secretariat against Gemade. Governor Bala Ngilari of Adamawa State who came to office only a month or so ago is also having his pains as the PDP remains determined to cede the governorship to the Adamawa Central Senatorial zone away from Ngilari’s Southern Senatorial zone. Though there are a lot of sympathies for the new governor, but the PDP seems to have gone too far in what is called its Ribadu agenda in the Central Senatorial zone for it to pull back. vanguardngr/2014/11/governors-also-cry/#sthash.p5ayZwcZ.dpuf
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:45:40 +0000
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