Lagos ACN Slams PDP, Presidency Over NGF Crisis

By Joe Igbokwe
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has
lambasted the Presidency and the PDP for the sowing and sustenance of
crisis in theNigeria Governors Forum. The party says that PDP and the
Jonathan presidency by their many noxious actions are creating doubts
on the minds of Nigerians on their faith in democracy, which they have
leveraged to gain undue advantage over all Nigerians since 1999.
In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary
of ACN,Joe Igbokwe, the party said that by the way and manner the PDP
and the Jonathan presidency has gone to create crisis in a body that
unites Nigerian governors and the audaciousmanner they are going to
sustain this crisis verged on illegality are enough to warn Nigerians
that those that benefitted greatly from our fight against militarism
are not ready to depart from the paths of illegality
andunconstitutionality. It advises Nigerians to brace up for further
struggles if they are not to continue witnessing the deliberate
distortion of democracy to benefit a small cabal that neither believes
in democracy nor are desirous of its growth in the country.
"By now, Nigerians are all aware of the undue interest shown by the
PDP and the presidency to annex the NGF for their self serving
purposes before the NGF election. Such desperation found meaning in
the orchestrated campaign of calumny the presidency and the PDP
launched against the Chairman of NGF, Governor Chibuike Amaechi over
the unfounded speculation that he was eyeing the Vice presidency.
Further show of this inordinate desire to conquer and annex the NGF
were the hasty formation of a PDP Governors' Forum, threats against
governors suspected not to harbor positive interest to PDP and the
presidency's agenda, deployment of carrot to woo governors to support
the takeover of the NGF among other means.
"Nigerians are aware that after all these heightened moves and heated
campaigns to capture the NGF, the body held its election where 35 of
thenation's 36 governors freely participated in an election between
Amaechi and the presidency's candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau
State. Nigerians are aware that Governor Amaechi beat Jang by 19 votes
to 36. We are equally aware that since the election held, the
presidencies with its governor-lackeys have been in a very
desperatemission to forge a phantom NGF with the defeated Jang as the
Chairman. We are aware that these forces have been at their wit's end,
deploying very childish, sterile and laughable reasons to explain why
they are attempting to abort a fully born baby. We are aware that even
with the pedestrian reasons they have been manufacturing to ensure the
balkanization of the NGF, they have failed woefully in explaining to
Nigerians why they feel they must indulge in a deliberate show of
illegality to prosecute whatever narrow political interests it wants
to sell.
"It is a shame that despite the extensive effort and the expensive
courses the presidency, the PDP and their malleable governors have put
totwist, obfuscate and pervert the truth on the NGF issue, they had
not been able to rally more than the 16 governors that actually voted
for theircandidate in the NGF election in the numerous 'meetings' they
have beencalling just to give strength to their false claim. The last
meeting was a disaster which should have informed any group, no matter
the length of the leash over its neck, that the game is up. For those
engaged in the frustrating act of covering the sun with their bare
palms, as the PDP, the presidency and some of the lackey-governors
have been doing since their defeat at the NGF election, the events of
the last few days and the un-refuted accounts of those that should
know are enough to tell them that the game is up but with desperation,
tinted with a knocked down ethical frame, Nigerians might be expecting
much from this group.
"Lagos ACN is so disappointed at the attitude of the Jonathan
presidency inthe entire issue. Even as it had come out to issue a
tongue-in-cheek denial of being involved in this deliberate crisis, we
are all aware that the NGF crisis was birthed and nurtured in the
presidency. We all know that the Jonathan presidency wrote and
forceddown the scripts of the present crisis on malleable governors
whom it factors will procure the division or ultimate destruction of
the NGF for its self serving interests. We all knew that in every
stage of the NGF crisis, the presidency is an active participantand it
was to remove all shreds of doubts on these when it went round to
offer a nebulous recognition to the losing Jang faction. This is a
clear demonstration that the PDP and the presidency have no scintilla
of democratic tenets in them and can only accept electoral results if
they are allowed to write the results as wehad been witnessing in
thisdysfunctional democracy. We warn that the PDP and the presidency
are sending dangerous signals to anti-democratic tenets by their
shameful efforts to distort the outcome of the NGF election and we see
this as enough warning that our democracy is endangered by their
attitudes.
"We urge all Nigerians to rise up to challenge those that take liberty
withtheir democratic rights as they stand to plunge us into deeper
democratic crisis by their repeated acts of illegality and impunity,
as in the Nigeria Governors' Forum issue at present."
Joe Igbokwe
Publicity Secretary,
Lagos ACN.