This is coming as the governors of 19 northern states were unable to take a decision on who they should support among those jostling for the position.
The inability of the governors to reach a compromise was said to have been responsible for the failure of the northern governors, under the aegis of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, to meet in Abuja on Thursday.
Our correspondent learnt that the governors would now meet on Friday before the election to see if they would be able to find some common ground.
While some were said to be rooting for the incumbent, who is also the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, some others were said to be supporting the Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, or the latest entrant to the race, Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.
It was however learnt that the governors from the zone who do not belong to the Peoples Democratic Party were said to have made their position known that they would support Amaechi for the job.
A northern governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “We are at a crossroads. This is a trying period for us in the region.
“Some of our colleagues are saying we should not allow anyone to dictate to us while the others are saying we should support one of our own for the job.
“Those in the opposition parties are saying that the Forum does not belong to the Peoples Democratic Party alone.
“Even in the PDP, we could not agree on who to support. That was why we did not meet, but we hope to meet on Friday.”
The governor said a majority of his colleagues from the region believed that both Shema and Yuguda were being foisted on the Forum by external forces.
In the meantime, investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday indicated that there might be more chairmanship aspirants than expected.
Sources at the secretariat of the Forum said there might be more aspirants for the position of the chairman.
A source said that some governors had called to say that they were on their way to file their nomination papers for the office.
The source said, “The race for the chairmanship of the Forum is interesting, because this is the first time the office is attracting so much attention.
“Already, both Amaechi and Shema have filed their papers, and some have called to say that they are on their way. We are waiting for them.
“Before now, there was no much publicity and acrimony on who would lead the Forum. But now that has changed.”
The source, who declined to name those “on their way” to file nomination forms, however said there would be no rancour after the election.
It was not clear if the Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, was able to file his papers.
Orji was a candidate in the earlier botched attempt to elect Amaechi’s successor.
The coming to the race by Yuguda was said to have been at the instance of President Goodluck Jonathan who was said to have been shocked that Shema was not too keen about the position.
Shema’s opponents, it was learnt, were said to be spreading the information that the governor was being used by the Presidency to fight Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
They alleged that Shema might be used to replace the Vice-President in the 2015 election as Jonathan’s running mate.
Also, the anti-Amaechi group was said to be meeting at an undisclosed venue in Abuja on Thursday night.
Sources close to the group said members were planning to either boycott the election or call for its postponement if it was clear that the election would not go in their favour.
If this plan fails, it was learnt that they might as well ask that a caretaker committee be put in place to conduct the election.
“But if that is done, it would fail because there is no such provision in the Forum’s constitution,” another source in the NGF secretariat told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, by the Northern Reconnaissance Group.
In the petition, which was signed by its President, Alhaji Idris Ahmed, the group asked the governors to follow their conscience while electing the chairman of the NGF.
The letter reads, “A majority of you have become victims of a vested interest and manipulative forces within the Presidency.
“You all have a choice to be your own men like you have always been in the North or you become puppets and little dumb kids like the lamb meant for the slaughter.
“In fact, retaining Amaechi is the only way our northern governors can retain their credibility as voting for Jonathan’s candidate will amount to a precipitous descent down the grease pole into the lonely crowd of yesterday’s men – in case you do not know.
“When we reach a sticky point such as this, it makes a strong case for the persistent calls for true federalism in which the centre does not wield overbearing power over the federating units.
“Would President Barak Obama of the United States interfere with the election of a forum like this in America?
“Even as the most powerful man on earth today, he cannot dream of doing anything remotely close to it. He and his aides know his limits and the laws do not allow him to overstep them.”
Ahmed said the alleged directive asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to go after any of the governors that would vote for Amaechi as chairman was in bad faith.
He said, “President Goodluck Jonathan is exerting absolute power by allegedly directing the EFCC to intimidate any member of the governors’ forum that does not vote against Governor Amaechi in the forum election.
“On this, we strongly believe that in a democratic society, people should be allowed to vote according to their conscience and freely.
“Not necessarily as they are instructed by the President because they are under a seeming oath of loyalty or fear of the EFCC. Indeed, these acts provide solid grounds for the public outcry about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”
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