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Who is enjoying the support of the majority of the 36 state governors in the country, especially among the presidential aspirants of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
The question will be answered when the Governors’ Forum elects a new chairman to take over from the Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki.
The battle for the chairmanship of the forum has already pitted presidential aspirants such as the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Aliyu Gusau, Ibrahim Shekarau and Saraki against one another.
The battle for the chairmanship of the largely advisory body is now being turned into a mini-presidential primary of the PDP, as controlling the body could signify the level of support the aspirants enjoy among the state governors.
The forum came into prominence during the crisis that greeted the absence of the late President Umaru Yar‘Adua from the country on health ground between last November and February this year and there was need to empower the then Vice President Jonathan to take charge.
It was gathered that in order to ensure that the cohesiveness of the GF is whittled down, the Presidency may have concluded plans to break the ranks of the governors as the election draws closer.
This is as a result of the hoopla that greeted the announcement of Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel as the successor to Saraki earlier in the week.
In what keen observers of politics in the country say may decide who emerges president next year, the rescheduled GF meeting may witness the beginning of the balkanisation of the once cohesive and influential GF.
News Star’s investigations revealed that the emergence of Ogun State governor may have been at the behest of President Jonathan.
But Governors Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and others faulted the emergence of Daniel.
Also faulting the process that threw up Daniel are Governors Segun Mimiko of Ondo State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and Mamuda Shinkafi of Zamfara State.
Impeccable sources told the paper that the move to install the Ogun State governor is a ploy by Jonathan to break the ranks of GF in the build-up to the 2011 elections.
“Gbenga Daniel is Jonathan’s presidential campaign anchor man in the South-West; definitely other aspirants will feel threatened by the move. Wonks in the president’s think tank must have seen this and made contingency plans,” said a source in Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation.
He pointed out that the president has been way ahead of his opponents from the word go.
“All that Jonathan has been doing is to force his opponents into a reaction mode. He acts and they react. What it means simply is that they are no longer setting the agenda,” the source said.
“If you are privy to events in the country during the moves to install Jonathan as acting president, you would see the immense influence that Saraki as chairman of the GF brought to bear during the power vacuum that attended the former president’s ailment,” said a presidency source.
According to him, governors are more favoured to emerge as PDP presidential candidates.
So, the governors are believed to be more amenable to conceding to one of their own.
The GF chairmanship post is held for two years by any elected chairman.
Though his tenure is yet to elapse, Saraki, after declaring his intentions to run for Presidency, had indicated that he would resign the post.
But with the election fast approaching, horse-trading and building of alliances by politicians in top gear, Saraki, according to sources, seemed to have delayed on the resignation from the post.
This, according to his strategists, was shrewdly calculated towards galvanizing support for his presidential ambition.
This much an aide to Daniel confirmed.
“It is rather sad that Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors don’t see what is actually going on. This fight is not about Gbenga Daniel, it is about 2011 presidential election. This is what we call battle by proxy. ACN should see that the real target is Jonathan and not Daniel. It is like the voice of Jacob but the hand of Esau,” said an aide to the Ogun State governor.
But presidency sources aver that Jonathan may be aware of this, hence is not ready to sit and allow his presidential ambition torpedoed.
As gathered, the move to install Gbenga was a decoy meant to hastily force Saraki to hand over as chairman of GF so that he would not use the platform to actualise his ambition.
“A cohesive GF in the face of uncertainty in the forthcoming elections can only be unsettling for any president. What it means is that GF could thwart any decision at both party level and state level,” said our presidency sources.
With the GF meeting scheduled for today, there are indications that about 15 governors may not be in attendance.
These are governors who installed Gbenga Daniel.
But others opine that if the 15 governors attend, it will be because they are confident that they will secure the support of the majority.
Anti-Jonathan governors are insisting that if anything, a governor who is known to be neutral in the unfolding political intrigue should be elected as the chairman of the GF. To this end, three names are being touted as likely successor to Saraki.
These are Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.
The most favoured in this regard is Aliyu, who in addition to being the chairman of Northern Governors Forum, has so far shown restraint in his utterances and body language as far supporting any candidate for the presidency; this, despite having a prominent son of the state, Babangida, as one of the presidential contenders.
Yuguda, say pundits, may stand no chance giving his avowed support for Jonathan. Another strong contender is Goje.
Opinion about him has been positive.
He is said to be a moderate but astute politician who is ready to compromise on integrity.
The paper however gathered that Jonathan’s intention may not be to install his man as chairman of GF.
As gathered, the bigger plan is to ensure that GF is not cohesive as the battle for the presidency moves nearer. |
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