It is the highest height of desperation if it is true, as claimed in a report in an online news website, that the President of Nigeria, Mr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, wants to compel the Nigerian Governors Forum to hold its election in the Presidential Villa for obvious reasons.

This latest move of the President if true is anti-democratic, imperious and smacks of desperation of a man clutching at a straw.

The online news site reported and I quote: “The election which is just few days away, the Nigerian President has gone for the broke and so paranoid because of an ordinary governors forum election,” an influential member of the forum who is also a governor in one of the northern states said.

According to the report, “The governor further revealed that out of desperation for his return in 2015, Mr. Jonathan has also dropped his support for the governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, for his Bauchi State counterpart, Isa Yuguda.

“As we speak, two of our colleagues who are the arrow heads of the group of governors promoting the Jonathan agenda within the forum, I mean Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, are in the Villa with the President where they are calling the governors for the President to speak with them one after the other. This is in addition to the on-going collation of supporting governors’ signatures for the election,” the governor who will not want to be mentioned for fear of victimisation stated.

“The source further disclosed that in addition to the efforts of Jonathan, Suswam and Akpabio, the Board of Trustees Chairman of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, has equally been speaking with the governors to support the President’s choice for the NGF. He said one of the governors that have been won over by Anenih is the Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke, who was until now a staunch supporter of Amaechi. ‘Imoke has turned his back because he was blackmailed that he has a number of cases pending in EFCC and was also promised some oil blocs,’ the source added. Indeed, it has been reported that Anenih was about a week ago in Calabar to meet Imoke.”

The online medium went further to say that another governor in the South-West who also spoke on the matter confirmed that President Jonathan had personally called him to seek his support for his choice for the NGF chairmanship. “I was surprised that the president will call me to ask me to support his choice for the chairmanship of our forum even when he knows I belong to another party and not a PDP member. It shocked me but it confirms our fear that the man (Jonathan) is becoming too desperate about this his 2015 ambition,” the South-West governor added.

As the governors prepare to vote to elect the next chairman of the NGF, my advice to them is as follows: If you decide on the Election Day to turn your back on one of your own who is being badly persecuted by the king of the Manor Farm against your conscience or other reasons selfishly beneficial to you so be it. Remember, it may be your turn in the near or far future to be victimised by the same King of the Manor Farm. Vote for your right conscience. May God protect, give you all wisdom on how to contribute towards the progress of Nigeria and guide you in making the right choice. Long live NGF.

•Igwe Douglas writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State •Photo shows outgoing NGF Chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Update news