By Matthew Mahmood
Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum
They vowed not to recognize the newly elected Chairman and announced that Mr. Jang will begin to perform as the NGF chairman with the Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, as the deputy.
Mr. Amaechi’s supporters waved the allegation as tantrums and held that they have proof that the election was free and fair with Mr. Amaechi gaining the majority of the votes.
—Premium Times
The Governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi retained his seat as the Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum by winning the election with 19 votes. His opponent, Governor Jonah David Jang of Plateau State lost the election with 16 votes. Jang was 'sponsored' by the Presidency that had been on Amaechi’s trail with series of ‘power show’. Amaechi was constantly bullied by the Presidency to the extent that he was not expected to win the election.
The Presidency is currently claiming that President Goodluck Jonathan had nothing to do with the election. If Jonathan had nothing to do with it, would Jang and some governors form a new Governors Forum? Why are they waiting for Jonathan to return from his trip to Ethiopia in order to see him on the aftermath of the election of shame? Jang was shamelessly defeated by Amaechi with votes from governors who were upright and belief in democracy.
In the past, we called for the resignation of Governor Jang because of various massacres in Plateau State. How can a man who cannot govern his state effectively ‘govern’ other governors? Does it make sense at all?
We were deeply shocked that the Governor of Ondo State Dr Olusegun Mimiko could join the gang of Governor Jang and be part of the team that formed an illegal forum instead of accepting defeat or seeking legal redress. The first and last time that we met Mimiko was 15 years before he became the Governor of Ondo State. He was humble to the core. The person he came to see later told us, “His name is Mimiko. He is a medical doctor by profession. He is very passionate about his people. One day, he will become the Governor of Ondo State”.
It will be recalled that he resigned as the Minister of Housing and Urban Development because he wanted to serve his people. Mimiko is a man of the people aka Iroko. Politically, his altimate aim was to govern Ondo State. He was a commissioner and minister before he won an Appeal court battle which allowed him to replace Governor Olusegun Agagu as the governor of Ondo state in 2009 although he initially lost the election in 2007.
Mimiko is fond of listening to his people. We hope his people would tell him why he is in the wrong forum as a deputy despite speculations that he wants to join the same political party as Jang which is the Peoples Democratic Party. Mimiko is the only Labour Party Governor in Nigeria. It would be better for Mimiko to pull out of Jang’s forum as soon as possible. A good name is better than a bad one. Mimiko has performed exceedingly well as a governor unlike Governor Jang. It is unfortunate that Mimiko is being used to support a negative forum although he is of the opinion that the free and fair election was rigged.
However, when Jonathan meets Jang’s forum of losers, he should tell the team off if he can. Are you laughing? Hehehe! As for Amaechi, he has other rivers to cross from Rivers State in order to get to his final destination in politics. Amaechi is a dogged fighter. Cheers!
Mimiko, Ladoja, Obi may defect to PDP
Mimiko explains why he resigned as minister in 2006
Mimiko: How Amaechi Rigged Himself Back As NGF Chairman
Jonathan not involved in NGF election – Presidency
A lot of people were pleased to be informed that the former Lagos State Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Commandant Mr Obafaiye Shem has resumed as the NSCDC commandant in Oyo State. What was the point of redeploying him in the first instance? We were of the opinion that redeploying Mr Shem would not stop the problem of forgetting a website address on a TV interview. Neither is Mr Shem the only government official that could have made such a blunder in Nigeria since it is a national issue. We also 'underlined' 10 ways to Avoid ‘Oga at the Top’ Blunder.
According to Naija Pundit, Mr Shem requested to swap his position with his Oyo State counterpart because of the bad publicity he caused Lagos State therefore he had to be redeployed. In the days of yore or during the military era, the likes of Mr Shem would have 'disappeared' into oblivion because nobody would be willing to discussion his latest posting.
In fact, fantastic African book critic Ikhide R. Ikheloa wrote an article on the plight of Mr Shem and the rest of us. Popular Nigerian musicians Charly Boy and Rugged Man defended Mr Shem without remorse. Mr Shem became a star overnight. He became famous among Nigerians worldwide. We doubt if he can shop without Nigerians spotting him. Fame came on a platter of gold for him to the extent that 7-UP (Nigeria) used his slogan to sell 7-UP without paying him. T-shirts and several products were made to ‘immortalise’ his ‘My Oga at the Top’ statements.
As they say, every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. We wish Mr Obafaiye Shem a better working arrangement and TV interviews in Oyo State. He has learnt his lessons and should adhere to improvement. As for ‘My Oga at the Top’ jesters, the joke is now stale! Please move on! We don’t need to embarrass this man any more unless he makes another mistake. Nobody is perfect.
MY OGA AT THE TOP: WHY NSCDC REDEPLOYED LAGOS COMMANDANT, OBAFAIYE
'Fumble Arena': Foremost Oga at the Top
The Removal of 'My Oga at the Top'
'My Oga at the Top' Denies Suspension
The Oga at the Top in us
In blogosphere, Mary Okeke is fast becoming popular for being a consistent African book reviewer. If you are interested in books by black writers her blog may be of interest to you. Recently, she celebrated a year of blogging book reviews. She has reviewed several books in over 80 blog posts. Happy anniversary!
