Sule Squares Up with Abdulrasaq over NGF Chairmanship

Chuks Okocha writes that the Nigeria Governors Forum is at a cross road over who to choose between Governors Abdullahi Sule and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of Nasarawa and Kwara States respectively to lead the body.

Since the formation of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF)  during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, the governors have had the option of electing their chairman through a consensus and not balloting of any sort.

However, the tradition was broken in the twilight of President Goodluck Jonathan’s adminstration when the election of the NGF chairman polarised and politicised the 36 state governors.

The body eventually gave  birth to the PDP Governors Forum and later the Progressives Governors Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC). But later, with the coming of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2025, all chairmen of the NGF were elected through consensus.

Last Wednesday’s meeting of the governors, that was tagged a valedictory meeting would have resulted in the election of a governor to take over from the out going chairman and governor of Sokoto state, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambawul.

Some governors had concluded plans for the governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, to step in as the new chairman. 

But that plot was thwarted in the 11th hour, when the governor of Kwara state, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, supported by some APC governors also indicated interest to contest for the coveted office of NGF Chair.

Tactically, the election was stepped down to allow room for further consultations to avoid repetition of what happened during the regime of President Jonathan.

Balloting to choose the next chairman of the governors forum has, however, been ruled out, as the governors insisted that it must be through consensus.

For the records, the election of the chairman is based on ranking or  seniority and from the party that has the highest number in the forum and the party with the second largest number becomes the vice chairman.

Under these circumstances, therefore, the APC will produce the chairman of the governors forum while the PDP will produce the vice chairman, unless the PDP cedes it to  either APGA or Labour Party that has one  governor each at the NGF.

The valedictory meeting was eventually shifted to another date and other national issues were rather discussed.

The governors of Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa and Kwara States are the ranking governors from the APC, but Gombe and Borno states governors were ruled out because the Vice President-elect is from the North East, hence, the next chairman of the forum will emerge from the North central.

With Fayemi  Kayode ending his tenurenlatevlast year as governor of Ekiti state and succeeded by  his deputy, Aminu Tambuwal, it is  expected that since the Sokoto state governor will be  bowing out as NGF chairman in May,  having served out his two terms of eight years as governor, it is necessary for a successor to emerge.

Besides, the NGF had in May 2013, resolved to avoid choosing its chairman through the ballot system, after the re-election of a former governor of Rivers State, Hon Rotimi Amaechi, not only turned out controversial but sharply split the elitist group.

Amaechi’s decision to seek re-election as NGF chairman was resisted by some forces within the system, believed to have the backing of then President Goodluck Jonathan, who from all indications, did not want Amaechi to secure another term as NGF chair, believing the group had constituted needless opposition to his government.

But when the former Rivers governor insisted on seeking re-election as NGF chair, a decision he considered his right, another of his colleague and former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, was encouraged by those loyal to the establishment to challenge him, causing intense disaffection in the group.

Although Amaechi eventually won with 19 votes to Jang’s 16, the Plateau governor refused to accept defeat and claimed he won, resulting in the famous “16 is greater than 19” slogan.

The NGF had since struggled for relevance, especially after the major political parties started creating their own groups of governors.

Since then, the NGF as a body had agreed to forgo election in the choice of its chairman and unanimously agree on one person, based on competence and relationship with individual colleagues.

It was on the basis of this that, the forum, according to sources, collectively agreed to have Sule succeed Tambuwal, given his private sector experience and capacity shown so far as governor, in addition to being a jolly good fellow among his friends.

Their Wednesday’s meeting was, however, chosen as the occasion to unveil and announce him before Abdulrasaq allegedly rose at the meeting and indicated interest, a development said to have startled other governors, who thought for a man, who was not a regular face at their meetings, such aspiration was divisive and uncalled for.

Besides, some of them were said to have expressed concerns that Abdulrasaq, largely considered an introvert, could not oversee the NGF, more so when this is not an affair of the APC but the governors across all parties.

While there was said to be an instant debate, albeit in hushed tones about capacity and networking, they generally thought his intention to run was unhealthy for the group.

Against this backdrop, therefore, the governors  stood down the item from its agenda, because it did not want to go to any election and inadvertently create more problems for itself.

So, with this development, the planned valedictory session was called off for another day.

One governor told THISDAY: “We don’t want to divide ourselves with balloting on who becomes the chairman of the  forum. Some of us have been asked to speak with the two governors to enable us arrive at a consensus in the choice of a chairman of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum.

“We are not seeking an input from any of the political parties, it is our affairs to smoothen governance. Though, we are elected from different political parties, we don’t want to be divided on this or tagged politically biased”.

“We want a governor that will command the respect of all of us. At the end of the day, we will achieve a consensus on this”.

Another governor also told THISDAY that since the meeting was for governors it would be fair to allow the 13 governors-elect to be part of the decision of who will become their chairman.

In the NGF as presently constituted, 17 of the governors who have completed their constitutional eight years in office would be exiting the forum by May 29 this year.

Likewise in the PDP, the oldest governor in the party is Edo state governor who is spending his seventh year as  governor and therefore the mantle of leadership falls on him to lead the PDP governors after May 29.

Apart from leading the PDP Governors Forum, Obaseki with his private sector background may as well become the vice chairman of the NGF.