We are not opposed to Jonathan, say governors

GOVERNORS yesterday rejected the claims that they are Nigeria’s problems and are working against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, recently attacked the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), declaring it a threat to peace and stability.

Rivers State Governor and NGF Chairman Rotimi Amaechi, said the forum is not opposed to President Jonathan’s administration.

“No. Chief Edwin Clark is an elder states man, we wont join issues with him”, he said.

Reading the Communiqué of the NGF’s Monday meeting, Amaechi said: “Forum decries the present attitude of the Federal Government on the Excess Crude Account and resolves to take no further adjournments in the subsisting case in court but to seek a final resolution of the matter from the Supreme Court.”

“On the rising incidents of polio in the country, Forum unanimously agreed to lead the efforts to eradicate polio by instituting the following: A monthly campaign to be headed by Governors in all 36 states of the Federation to promote routine immunization as well as promote healthy environmental habits.”

“Governors from non-polio states will support their counterparts in affected states by joining them in their states during the upcoming national polio campaign. To meet the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication in order to identify current funding gaps and challenges against polio eradication in Nigeria.”

He went on: “Forum agreed to hold a two-day retreat to deliberate on the current state of security of the country. Members declared their confidence in the Chairman and endorsed his leadership as head of the Forum.”

“The Forum remains resolute in the development of our different states for the benefit of the nation and our citizens.”

Speaking on the health of Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime, Amaechi said “I talked with him, put him on the phone to an editor who is my friend. It was real.”

Some stakeholders have raised doubts about a picture published in newspapers of Amaechi, Chime, Gabriel Suswam, the Benue governor and Godswill Akpabio, the Akwa Ibom governor.

Some of the states represented at the meeting are Lagos, Ekiti, Jigawa, Abia, Kogi, Kaduna, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Kwara, Adamawa, Ogun, Rivers and Bayelsa. Delta, Nasarawa, Taraba, Kano, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, Sokoto and Bauchi were also there.