Any subterranean plan to impeach Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, by lawmakers loyal to the Minister of State for Education, Nyesome Wike, will fail.

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, said yesterday in Port Harcourt.

Dan-Amachree said the 27 members of the House of Assembly suspended by the Felix Obuah led executive have resolved to align themselves with Amaechi in the crisis currently brewing in the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said the unnerving rumours that swept through Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday night, that eight of the 27 lawmakers suspended from the party for either participating in the sacking of the Obio Akpor council executive or for being loyal to Governor Amaechi, had defected to the pro-Wike-Obuah group lacked substance.

The rumour mill swiftly swelled speculations that an impeachment plot against Amaechi was thickening and gathering momentum.
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Determined to exert its control over the umbrella body of governors in the country, Governor Jonah Jang-led faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday opened a new secretariat in Abuja

Roll call of governors who witnessed yesterday’s opening ceremony include: Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Idris Wada (Kogi), Garba Umar (Taraba), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Muktar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Theodore Orji (Abia), Peter Obi (Anambra), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), and the deputy governors of Benue, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau and Gombe states. The factional chairman, Governor Jang, was also present.

The one-storey building factional NGF secretariat was unveiled at 5.30pm yesterday, with the chairman of the faction, Governor Jang of Plateau State, saying, “In the name of our Maker, the Almighty, I commission this Nigeria Governors’ Forum secretariat. From today, our activities will be carried out here; from today, anything you want about the NGF, this is where you will get it.”

The factional Director-General of the NGF, Osaru Onaiwu, had earlier said the secretariat had hoisted flags of all the political parties at the secretariat to reflect the parties in the NGF. The unveiling of the plaque was followed by inspection of the new secretariat led by the chairman and other state governors.

The ceremony, however, culminated in a closed door meeting at 6.00pm. Daily Newswatch learnt that yesterday’s ceremony was preceded by a meeting at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, before the governors moved to the venue. The governors of Delta, Kogi, acting governor of Taraba, Ebonyi and Kaduna states were among the early arrivals and had to wait for close to an hour before their colleagues joined them.

Indications that there was a meeting before the event emerged when the governors of Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau and the deputy governor of Gombe State arrived at the same time.

The Jang-led faction of NGF had before yesterday meeting held its inaugural meeting at the Benue State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, where the group pledged to work with President Goodluck Jonathan.

They indicated then that they would move to a new secretariat and lauded the creation of the PDP Governors’ Forum, headed by Governor Akpabio, while praising other governors in the country for supporting Jang.

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Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State may face impeachment for supporting embattled Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State during the controversial Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) elections held in Abuja at the weekend. Daily Newswatch learnt that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which controls the majority in the state House of Assembly with 20 against four of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), is unhappy with Governor Al-Makura’s role during the NGF election. Indeed, Al-Makura, in line with the CPC’s position, was said to have voted for Amaechi against the PDP’s preferred candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State as the chairman of the conclave of the 36 governors in the country.

Consequently, a source within the state chapter of PDP confided in Daily Newswatch that the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Musa Mohammed, was summoned by the leadership of the party in Abuja on the implications of Al-Makura’s role during the NGF election in order to fast track how the PDP should react to this. The source said impeachment may not be ruled out of this, especially as the relationship between the Executive and the PDP-dominated state legislature has not been cordial, with the PDP lawmakers only waiting for any chance to take out the governor. “The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governor is said to have worked against the candidature of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, the preferred candidate of our party. The CPC went with Governor Ameachi of Rivers State,” the source explained.
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President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abuja, presented a scorecard of his administration’s achievements in the last two years, where former President Olusegun Obasanjo; his then deputy, Atiku Abubakar; former Heads of State, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal , were conspicuously absent.
However, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, venue of the event, were: Vice President Namadi Sambo; the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari; former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; a former Chief of General Staff, General Oladipo Diya, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ministers, presidential aides and captains of industry.

Foreign dignitaries in attendance were: Jesse Jackson from the United States; former Liberian leader, Amos Sawyer, and members of the Diplomatic Corps. At the event, which was broadcast live on national network television stations, President Jonathan cautioned critical Nigerians who may want to assess the administration’s achievements, presented in a 250-page document, not to be subjective in their assignment. President Jonathan, in particular, took exceptions to the average marks awarded the Ministers of National Planning, Samsudeen Usman, and his Trade and Investment counterpart, Olusegun Aganga, by a section of the media, arguing that both ministries had done well.

He said, “In terms of Foreign Direct Investments that they (Trade Ministry) attracted to this country by (their) activities, it has never happened. In spite of security challenges, there is so much interest of businessmen wanting to come to Nigeria. Before now, that ministry was almost like a dead end. Until Samsudeen came on board, we didn’t even know that we have a planning ministry. But these two ministries are scored average. I asked: what are the criteria used?” According to him, “Today, we are marking the end of the first 24 months, which is our mid-term review, and my duty is to formally present a document that all Nigerians will be able to read and assess us.

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