After several months of in house fighting, the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF), met as a unified body on Monday, May 18, 2015.
The NGF has not been a unified body since 2013 when the forum split with Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State leading one faction while Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang leading the other.
The meeting is took place at the Lagos/Osun Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
The meeting was not without its oppositions as the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson opposed strongly to the meeting. He purported instead that the outgoing governors who had brought about the forum’s division should be allowed to leave first so as to allow the incoming set of governors to organise the forum for themselves.
As at 10pm, less than half of the states were represented at the meeting.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governors chairman, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, when he came in asked that a chair be pulled for him beside Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The two men haven’t exactly seen eye to eye in recent times especially as they were fierce rivals during the campaign leading up to the election.
When Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom came in, he asked that a chair be pulled for him beside Gov. Amaechi. The two men were fierce rivals in the buildup to the elections, with Akpabio standing as a counterforce to Governor Amaechi as Chairman of the PDP Governors.
Here is a list of governors who were present as at 10pm;
1. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State
2. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.
3. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.
4. Rauf Aregbosola of Osun State.
4. Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.
5. Ramallan Yero of Kaduna State.
6. Saidu Dankigari of Kebbi State.
7.Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State.
8. Deputy governor of Kano State and governor- Elect, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
9. Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
10. Deputy governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi.
11. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.
12. Deputy governor of Nasarawa State.
13. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.
14. Governor- Elect of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom
15. Deputy governor of Imo State.
The meeting was still ongoing as at the time of filing this report.
