Permutations on 2027 Heat up Race for Gov AbdulRasaq’s Seat as NGF Chairman

Olawale Olaleye

The race for the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has assumed an interesting dimension as the battle is now being hinged on a power rotation arrangement rooted in the 2027 presidential election permutations, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAY gathered that the Governor of Imo State and Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma; the Governor of Ogun State and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun; and the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji; are the top contenders in the race as the southern governors are said to be clamouring for the position to shift to the zone to boost President Bola Tinubu’s re-election chances.

The governors had during the May 2013 re-election battle of former governor of Rivers State, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, as the chairman of NGF, which badly divided members, passed a resolution on a two-year term for its chairman, which stipulated that the re-election of its chairman would no longer be automatic.
 This decision followed the unpretentious interest of the presidency under the then President Goodluck Jonathan, who was bent on having an NGF chairman that would be loyal to it since the period of four years was a long time to have an “opposition personality” in that office.

At the time, Amaechi’s feud with Jonathan had begun to aggravate the battle for the 2015 elections, which ultimately saw Jonathan out of office, defeated by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

It was the account of Amaechi’s confrontation with Jonathan that prompted the former president to dread seeing Amaechi return as NGF chairman because he feared he could use the forum’s office to mobilise against him.

However, Amaechi, with the backing of more governors, including those elected on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), won the election with 19 votes to defeat the Jonathan-backed then-Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, who polled 16 votes.
But with Jonathan’s loyalists insisting that they won with their 16 votes, the NGF was polarised and the PDP Governors’ Forum was created as a breakaway faction.

It was on this ground that a resolution for a two-year non-automatic term was passed and successive chairmen of NGF had since followed and respected the resolution, ensuring that they spent only two years in office, albeit re-electable.

However, with the politics of the 2027 election showing different tendencies, the clamour to have a southern governor head the NGF has gained momentum as part of the efforts to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

However, there is a growing speculation that the current NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq, whose two-year tenure ends this June, is unwilling to schedule a meeting this month for an alleged fear of members requesting an election.
AbdulRasaq will be two years in office this June and will have completed one term as NGF chairman.

However multiple sources close to the NGF claimed he is not likely to call for an election this month because he wants to serve for four years as opposed to two years.

However, THISDAY gathered that some of the southern governors, who have been canvassing support for an NGF chairman from the same region as the president, insisted on having an election or a consensus candidate from the south to succeed the current chairman when the group meets next week.
In the meantime, some of the governors being positioned for the office of the NGF include the Governor of Lagos, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Governor of Imo State and chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum, Senator Uzodimma; Governor of Ogun State and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Abiodun; the Governor of Ekiti State, Oyebanji; and the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Though a majority of the governors from the south were said to have initially conceded the position to the governor of Lagos State, his now frosty relationship with the president is believed to have truncated this plan.

Tinubu’s cold relationship with the governor of his home state, Sanwo-Olu, became public knowledge when the president ignored the governor at a recent public function by refusing to shake hands with him.

THISDAY gathered that it is against this backdrop that Sanwo-Olu may no longer be in contention.

But the other governors are said to be mobilising support already, preparatory to the next meeting of the NGF this June, where another chairman is expected to emerge from the south.

Uzodimma, a second-term governor and unrepentant backer of Tinubu, has been everywhere in the last few months canvassing the president’s re-electio

n.
He first mooted the idea of Tinubu’s endorsement at the meeting of the progressive governors before it was sealed at the party’s summit soon after.
Abiodun is another second-term governor, considered a perfect fit for the job. His choice is believed to be instructive given the proximity of Ogun State to Lagos and could also enhance mobilisation.

Governor Oyebanji is one of the most favoured for the job, given his calmness and leadership disposition.
He is likely to emerge as the first governor of Ekiti State to win his re-election back-to-back as a result of his performance and ability to manage both man and material resources effectively.

On his part, Aiyedatiwa, the current governor of Ondo State, is being touted by some interest in the party because of his capacity for mobilisation and the fact that even though a first-term governor, he appears to be popular among his colleague governors for constantly playing sincere neutrality