NGF election: Gov Amaechi floors Jonathan’s candidate

Announcing the results of the election, which held at the Rivers state Governor’s Lodge in Abuja last night, Director General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru said Amaechi polled 19 votes while Jang,  believed to  President Jonathan’s choice polled 16 votes.Jang, Weekly Trust heard, joined the race after Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema and his Bauchi […]

Announcing the results of the election, which held at the Rivers state Governor’s Lodge in Abuja last night, Director General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru said Amaechi polled 19 votes while Jang,  believed to  President Jonathan’s choice polled 16 votes.
Jang, Weekly Trust heard, joined the race after Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema and his Bauchi State counterpart Isa Yuguda, who had earlier indicated interest in the contest, withdrew at the last minute.
Okauru said 35 governors participated in the election with the exception of that of Yobe  State Ibrahim Gaidam who was absent.
Okauru also announced that Zamfara State Governor Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, emerged as deputy chairman of the Forum after his Ondo State counterpart and co-contestant Dr. Olusegun Mimiko withdrew from the race.
“Governors of the 36 states met today [yesterday] and decided either to elect a new chairman or maintain the status quo. All the governors, except that of Yobe, participated in the election which was free and fair,” Okauru said.
Yesterday’s election, described as a battle between Amaechi and the presidency’s preferred choice, marked the end of several weeks of intrigues and schemings over the “battle for the soul” of the NGF chairmanship.
Weekly Trust gathered that earlier in the day that the Northern Governors Forum had met at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge in an attempt to reconcile the two contestants from the zone reportedly hit the brick wall.
Although journalists were not allowed to cover the Northern Governors Forum’ meeting, a source told Weekly Trust that attempt to get Governor   Shema to step down for Yuguda failed.
Consequently, the northern governors were said to have opted for Governor   Jang, forcing the two others to quit the race.
Shema had earlier been taunted as the president’s choice to replace Amaechi, but was eventually dropped for Yuguda, a development that created division among the northern governors.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio has rejected the outcome of the election.
Akpabio told journalists at the Akwa Ibom Governors Lodge after the election that as far as the PDP Governors’ Forum was concerned, Governor Jang won the election.
“We are rejecting the declaration of Amaechi as winner, because he cannot preside over an election that he is a candidate,” Akpabio said.
Also, while rejecting the outcome of the election in a briefing, Jang insisted that he is the winner, adding that there was no way Amaechi could have won the election because 19 governors have earlier endorsed his (Jang’s) candidature. He however did not mention the 19 governors.
Akpabio also said that the election was not properly conducted because Amaechi refused to step down before the poll was conducted.
He said his group has rejected Amaechi as their Chairman and would only recognize Jang whom, he stressed, has the support of 19 of them. Akpabio said Mimiko is the forum’s deputy chairman.
Governors with the Jang group include those of Enugu, Delta, Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi, Ondo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Bauchi,  Anambra,  Nasarawa, and Abia states.