Posted by By Emeka Mamah on
KADUNA - THE much publicised meeting of the Northern Governors' Forum was, yesterday, aborted on account of clash of interest....
KADUNA - THE much publicised meeting of the Northern Governors' Forum was, yesterday, aborted on account of clash of interest among the governors. The meeting which was to be presided over by Governor Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State would have discussed raging political and allied issues affecting the North. Some of the governors who arrived Kaduna, Wednesday, for the meeting returned to their states followingdisagreement among them over the presidential ambition of some of them and the zoning of the presidency next year. Northern governors who have presidential ambition in 2007 are Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Ahmed Sani (Zamfara), Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) and Adamu Mua'zu (Bauchi).
Apart from these, Governors Boni Haruna (Adamawa) and Gorge Akume (Benue) are known supporters of Vice President Atiku Abubakar while Abdulkadir Kure (Niger) and Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto) are in General Ibrahim Babangida's political camp, thus making any agreement on thepresidency impossible. The governors started returning home after a briefing by the Forum's Coordinating Secretary and Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Alhaji Saidu Kakangi. Journalists who were at the Hassan Usman Katsina House, venue of the meeting, were accosted by stern looking anti-riot policemen who cordoned off the area.
Scores of people believed to be members of some organised bodies were also seen with placards ostensibly ready for protest against the meeting.Speaking with newsmen on the reasons for the last minute cancellation of the meeting, co-ordinating Secretary, Alhaji Kakangi said it was because of an 'order from above."
"We got directives from above. The new date is now August 2 and 3, 2006," Alhaji Kakangi said, adding that the governors who were already in town for the meeting were in 'Kaduna for different reasons."
Protest against Forum
However, speaking with reporters later, President of the Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice, ComradeUmar Farouk said his group organised to protest against the insistence of the Northern Governors Forumthat power must return to the North in 2007.
"We organised to abort the governors' meeting. We are tired of the resolutions coming at the end of each NGF meeting that power should return to the North in 2007. The north, as an entity, does not deserve to have the presidency now.
"The best way to sustain national or northern unity is to allow power to go to either the South-South orSouth-East zones neither of which has had power in the last 40 years.
"We made adequate arrangements to stop the meeting, but they invited the police to take over the place. We are waiting for them and we will mobilise more people to confront them whenever the meeting holds.
"Most of the northerners who are now angling for the presidency have had their share in the Nigerianproject. We cannot continue to recycle leaders. In fact, power should remain in the South until youngones who will take over from these our so-called leaders grow up, probably in 2011. We don't believe inthe PDP arrangement on zoning,"
Some of the placards read: 'Let those who have something to offer take power in 2007"; "Let us de-emphasisesentiments; Nigeria does not belong to the North alone"; "The Nigeria of our dream is rooted in ourability to accommodate others"; and "Northern youths support level playing ground."
Commenting on the presence of anti-riot policemen at the venue of the meeting, state Police PublicRelations Officer, Sa'ad Yahaya (DSP), said there was nothing strange about it. Yahaya said it was normal for the police to provide security for the governors' meeting, adding that they were not aware that the meeting was aborted.