Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have thrown their weight behind Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State in his ongoing feud with his predecessor and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Their renewed support for the Rivers governor followed the conduct of a disputed party congress in which the Fubara was denied a say.
The governors have now tasked the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to revisit the exercise and allow Fubara to take his rightful place in the leadership of the party.
This was part of the resolutions reached at the meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), which took place in Jalingo, Taraba State, on Friday.
The meeting deliberated on crucial intra-party and governance matters affecting their states as well as those of overriding national interest and importance.
A communiqué released at the end of the meeting said: “The Forum notes the political impasse in Rivers State, where court judgements are employed to determine the outcome of the party congresses.
“The PDP Governors’ Forum restates its stand with the Governor of Rivers State and will engage the NWC of our great party to revisit the congress with a view to correcting the anomaly and allowing His Excellency Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”
The main opposition governors also evaluated the run-up to next month’s Edo State governorship election and blasted President Bola Tinubu for allegedly planning to compromise the exercise in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The communiqué said: “With regard to the coming governorship election in Edo State, we condemn the pronouncements by the President to compromise the election in favour of his party as well as the systematic intimidation of PDP supporters by the Nigeria Police and call on the Inspector General of Police to call his men to order.”
The PDP governors lamented what they observed as the federal government’s resort to blackmail rather than undertaking a review of macro-economic and social policies with a view to giving them a human face.
They called on President Tinubu to “show statesmanship by restraining his officials from blame games that make the sub-nationals look bad by mentioning piecemeal interventions that cannot solve the problem.”
“We remain unshaken in our firm resolve to stand with the suffering Nigerian masses and to take all legitimate steps to ameliorate their plight,” the governors added.
The PDP state chief executives noted with concern “the refusal” of the federal government to distinguish between the federal government’s revenue and the revenue accruing to the federation, which must be allocated in accordance with existing laws.
They tasked the government with obeying Section 162 of the Constitution and also separate the offices of the Accountant General of the Federation and that of the Accountant General of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We call on the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to be more transparent in obeying the law, particularly Section 162 (1), (2), and (3). And equally, call on the Accountant General of the Federation to stop behaving like the Accountant General of the Federal Government and to exercise her role in line with the Constitution.
“Therefore, we call for the separation of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and that of the Accountant General of the FGN,” the communique stated.
In the recent #EndBadGovernance protest, the governors asserted that it is the citizens’s right to peaceful protest.
The communique said: “The governors noted with a sigh of relief the end of the #EndBadGovernance protests, which was edging to a major national crisis. We salute the dexterity of the governors, especially those of the PDP, in handling the situation in their respective states with maturity, thereby restraining hoodlums and other unscrupulous elements from hijacking the protests.
“The Forum reiterates that peaceful protests are the inalienable rights of the citizens through which they vent their genuine grievances. The Forum commiserates with the families of those innocent souls that were lost and calls on the Federal Government to ensure a fair and speedy trial of those who were arrested.”
The governors commended the host, the Taraba State government, under Governor Agbu Kefas, for the hospitality accorded members of the forum and the secretariat and noted with delight the giant steps taken to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state, “which is in line with the governance philosophy of the PDP.”