The Nigeria Governors' Forum

Even before the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election held last week Friday, we all knew there would be drama. Nollywood would be green with envy that our governors have rivalled the industry in churning out incredible theatre. What we got was an award winning epic drama. Oscars, look out here we come!

How does one explain that 36 governors, each constitutionally responsible for running a state, could not sit and decide on who leads them in an association set up with rules and regulations?  36 ballot papers meant for a supposedly non-partisan organisation’s election.  These men are sworn to protect our constitution. It is not cheering news for those of us hoping for free, fair and credible general elections in 2015, especially when these same actors are going to superintend over them.

Is the NGF a pressure group, political organisation or a non-partisan association? Since its inception in 1999, the group has never lived up to its creed as a peer review body among the 36 state governors. Rather than promote unity, good governance and cooperation among states, the body has only succeeded in protecting their own selfish interests. NGF has grown to become a powerful political bloc attractive to political hawks bent on holding on to power at all costs and covering their tracks from any illegal activity perpetrated during their tenure or elevating themselves to higher office. It has become the aim of the ruling party to capture the group or destroy it. During former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s failed third-term bid and the subsequent party primaries that brought the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua to power, the battle for the soul of NGF took hold.  

We now have sub-groups such as the Northern Governors’ Forum, South-South Governors’ Forum, PDP Governors’ Forum, etc. What is certain is that the PDP is not known for being democratic (see CONSENSUS). It also has not come as a surprise that a PDP-dominated NGF flouts the rules set and resolves to impose a candidate in blatant disregard for the provisions of the association’s statute.  The danger in converting the NGF to an arm of the ruling party is the descent to despotism and dictatorship. It is already happening! We need to protect our democracy.

In our democracy, it is clear that our votes don’t count. Our politicians have made sure of this. We have decided to accept this. Why? And why are we denied the right to choose?  The PDP has decided to factionalise the NGF in the most dramatic fashion. By orchestrating a subtle threat in the form of compelling its governors to sign a pre-election document and by dragging Governor Jonah Jang into the race, the argument about not having interest in the affairs of the NGF is exposed.  Furthermore, the choice of the Governor of Plateau state as proposed leader of the NGF came after the cut off date for submitting names to challenge for the leadership. Na wah o!

Jonah Jang! He is barely able to secure his own state. He has enough work to do in the Plateau. He should concentrate in restoring it to its former glory and attracting the kind of industry, agriculture and tourism that existed before the PDP took over.

Ultimately, all this boils down to 2015. Are we going to again allow these jokers to conduct sham elections that are not true and give themselves legitimacy? The signs are clear. Governors who should be giving account of their stewardship for the people to determine those worthy of further leadership roles are falling over themselves over who leads an association. This is because in our brand of politics the people are of no consequence. Those who control the states decide elections here. They use the state machinery to defraud us.   

Meanwhile they actually do not understand what the title that they so desperately seek means. “The power that comes with being President, Governor, Chairman “only lasts as long as the person has that title. If it is taken away, all the power that was associated with it goes out the door with it. The influence that comes with having a title can be fleeting at best. There is a much deeper power and that is the natural leadership power that lives within each of us. Sadly it is little used within the vast majority of us. This is real power because it is power that can never be taken away. This is the best kind of power.”  (Robin Sharma, The leader Who Had No Title) This is the stuff that presidents, governors, chairmen, true leaders are made of.