{"id":4187,"date":"2013-05-25T06:27:28","date_gmt":"2013-05-25T06:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/akpabio-others-reject-result\/"},"modified":"2013-05-25T06:27:28","modified_gmt":"2013-05-25T06:27:28","slug":"akpabio-others-reject-result","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/akpabio-others-reject-result\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2026Akpabio, others reject result"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A shocked Governor Godswill Akpabio last night rejected the result of the Nigeria Governors Forum\u2019s chairmanship contest and proclaimed Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State the winner of the election.<\/p>\n

With Akpabio, who leads the recently formed PDP Governors Forum, were nine of his colleagues\u2013Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Idris Wada (Kogi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Peter Obi (Anambra) and Theodore Orji (Abia).<\/p>\n

They addressed reporters at the Akwa Ibom Liaison office, Abuja, saying 19 of them elected Jang as the new chairman of the forum<\/p>\n

They distributed to reporters copies of a statement entitled \u201cResolution of Nigerian Governors\u201d, purportedly signed by 19 governors, including Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe, who abstained from voting at the election earlier in the day, and Governor Dankwabo of Gombe who, according to Amaechi\u2019s camp, was not present at the meeting as he was out of the country.<\/p>\n

The resolution reads: \u201cWe the undersigned Governors of the Nigerian Governors\u2019 Forum, having taken cognizance of the state of the nation and the perception of the Nigerian people, do hereby resolve as follows:<\/p>\n

1. That we thank the out-going Chairman, His Excellency, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State for his leadership and achievements.<\/p>\n

2. That we strongly agree for a change of leadership of the Forum from May 2013 to May 2015.<\/p>\n

3. We hereby, therefore, elect His Excellency Jonah Jang of Plateau State as the new Chairman of the Forum.<\/p>\n

Signed :<\/p>\n

Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Dankwambo I.H. (Gombe); H.S.Dickson Esq (Bayelsa); Garba Umar (Taraba); Suswan Gabriel (Benue); Peter Obi (Anambra); Idris Wada (Kogi); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Jonah Jang (Plateau); Muktar R.Yero (Kaduna); Sullivan I.Chime (Enugu); Martin N.Elechi (Ebonyi); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); T.A.Orji (Abia); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina): Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); and AbdulFatah Ahmed (Kwara).<\/p>\n

Akpabio said Amaechi ought to have resigned his position as chairman of the NGF before seeking re-election.<\/p>\n

He said Amaechi\u2019s non-resignation breached the rules.<\/p>\n

Yuguda expressed disbelief at the outcome of the election in spite of the fact that the PDP Governors Forum supposedly presented a common candidate.<\/p>\n

Jang echoed Yuguda\u2019s viewpoint, wondering how he could have lost when he had the backing of northern governors.<\/p>\n

However, a governor at the election dismissed the claim of the anti-Amaechi forces.<\/p>\n

He said the pro-Amaechi group suspected from the outset that the other side was up to some mischief.<\/p>\n

His words: \u201cSome of us had a premonition that some anti-Amaechi governors might be desperate and we decided to video tape the election process.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we are vindicated as they are crying over spilled milk. Nigerians should ask them why they refused to address the press after the election at the Rivers State Governor\u2019s Lodge?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe so-called list released by Governor Godswill Akpabio is strange and extraneous in order to scuttle Amaechi\u2019s mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is laughable that they even included the name of Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geidam, who was not in Abuja to vote, in their list. This has shown how desperate they have become.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they released was the list of the governors who signed to vote for the anointed candidate of the presidency who eventually did not contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could not even be smart. Collection of signatures is different from actual voting. They coerced some governors to sign but these governors ended up voting according to their conscience.<\/p>\n

Responding to a question, the governor added: \u201cWe stand by the mandate which has been hardly won by Governor Amaechi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our correspondent put a call through to the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh at 9 .18 pm yesterday, to seek the party\u2019s position on the outcome of the contest.<\/p>\n

He responded that it was solely an NGF affair, saying that the election was not about the PDP and that the party did not monitor the exercise.<\/p>\n

Metuh abridged the conversation and excused himself. He promised to get back to our correspondent later, but he never did at press time.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: The Nation Newspaper<\/p>\n

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