Amaechi calls NGF meeting for Wednesday

Culled from punch

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has called a meeting of  the NGF for  Wednesday in Abuja.

Amaechi, who is the Rivers State Governor, has also invited Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, who contestthe NGF chairmanship with him on May 24.

The NGF chairman also invited the Chairman,Peoples Democratcic Party Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio.

The meeting is the first to be called by Amaechi since the outcome of the election, which was rejected by 16 governors.

The meeting is scheduled for the Rivers State lodge, Abuja

The Director- General of the Forum, Mr. Asishana Okauru, confirmed the meeting.

“Yes, there will be a meeting,” he said.

Okauru was the Returning Officer during the chairmanship election, which Amaechi won with 19 votes against Jang’s 16 votes.

Jang supporters have, however, refused to accept Amaechi as their chairman.

Instead, they have opened a parallel office at Maitama District of Abuja.

They also appointed Mr. Osaro Onaiwu as the sole administrator of the office, where they have met twice.

Only 16 governors attended meetings called by Jang, which observers termed to be those who actually voted for him.

Though the Amaechi group have not met, the governor has led the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to inspect the secretariat of the Forum, where the duo assured members of staff of job safety.

The workers were said to have been apprehensive of the happenings in the Forum, and wondered whether their jobs were secured.

Amaechi, was suspended by the PDP on May 27 as a result of his insistence to contest the election.

The PDP had through its Chairman of Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, visited some governors and campaigned against Amaechi before the NGF poll.

But the party gave another reason as to why the governor was suspended from the party.

It said through its National Working Committee that his suspension was as a result of his “refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers Executive Committee (of PDP) to rescind his decision dissolving the elected Executive Council of Obiokpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.”

But the governor, who has gone to court to contest his suspension, claimed that he was not responsible for the sacking, adding that  it was the State House of Assembly that did it.