The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) has restated its support for Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, over the political crisis in the state party.
The development is coming as a chieftain of the party (PDP), Otunba Segun Showunmi, has warned that if the party fails to be honest and genuine in its reconciliation move, it may end up achieving a worse outcome than in the past.
The governors assured of their readiness to engage the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to revisit the congresses with a view to correcting the anomaly, while insisting that Fubara must be allowed to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.
According to a statement by the Chief press Secretary to Fubara, Nelson Chukwudi, the PDP governors made the resolve in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum’s 4th regular monthly meeting in 2024 at Government House, Jalingo, Taraba State.
The communiqué, which was read by the Chairman of the forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed said, read in part: “The Forum notes the political impasse in Rivers State where court judgments 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 Governor Siminalayi Fubara, to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”
The meeting, which deliberated on a number of burning national and intra-party issues, also commended the PDP governors for their matured handling of the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country, urging the Federal Government to stop the blame game and face governance squarely by addressing core policy issues with a view to reducing the sufferings of Nigerians.
“The meeting deliberated on crucial intra-party and governance matters affecting our states as well as those of overriding national interest and importance.
“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 fair and speedy trial of those who were arrested,” the communiqué added.
On the lingering issue of revenue sharing among the tiers of government, Mohammed said: “The forum notes with concern, the refusal of the Federal Government to distinguish between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revenue and revenue accruing to the federation, which must be allocated in accordance with extant laws.
“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) (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 emphasised.
Nine Governors of the PDP extraction attended the one-day forum meeting, including Mohammed, who serves as Chairman/Governor, Bauchi State;
Fubara, who is Vice Chairman and Governor of Rivers State, as well as the host Governor, Agbu Kefas.
Others are Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah; Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri; Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori; Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Muftang; Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal; and Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Those absent were Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke; Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Eno Umo.
Showunmi, in a statement on Friday, said the scapegoating of an individual for what ought to be a matter that shows that there is enough blame to go around is unhelpful. He said: “As we embark on this new effort, we must not waste each other’s time for if we do not desire honest, genuine and commonsensical approaches to our issues we will achieve a worse outcome.
“None is all right and none is all wrong. The scapegoating of an individual for what ought to be a matter that shows that there is enough blame to go around is unhelpful.
“There is no messiah anywhere and as such all must purge themselves of any messiah complex they may have, for it is incontrovertible that our reasons for losing 2015 stem from indiscipline and lack of far-reaching reflections on what is in the party’s interest and there are living players who though may have seen the wrongness of their actions and must not pontificate as though 2015 did not happen.
“The limping of the party and the management of the consequences of that action was very serious. We managed to get to 2019, which most consider our best outing in recent history, but we still came short, at the heart of this too, say what you will is the fact that the complete commitments of those who can work were absent for the altar of personal hurt and using party elections to settle the personal scores and private grudges.”
Showunmi noted that the party’s performance in the 2023 general election was a self-inflicting injury that was preventable, and avoidable but allowed to happen because party members refused to allow the party to be supreme in all circumstances.
