This report presents a blow-by-blow account of how the South South governors' meeting, expected to herald the election of a replacement for the slain National Vice Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Aminasoari Kala Dikibo, as well as agree on a zonal position on some issues of national importance, got deadlocked as the governors could not take a common position. Peter Okhiria, who was there presents the story, with additional reports by Jide Ajani.
It is no longer news that the South-South Governors’ summit in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state last weekend ended in a deadlock as the governors were split into two camps on the choice of a candidate to replace the late Chief Aminasoari Kala Dikibo.
Chief Dikibo, slain in a yet-to-be-unravelled mystery on his way to a similar summit in Asaba on Friday, February 6, this year was National Vice-Chairman, South-South, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Observers had noticed that there was a crack in the rank of the governors on Friday a day before the summit proper when only four Governors: Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom state; Chief Lucky Igbinedion of Edo state; Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa state and Chief James Ibori of Delta state were present at the gala nite organised by the host governor, Victor Attah, to welcome the governors and let them have a taste of the hospitality of the people of Akwa Ibom State.
Tongues had started wagging on that Friday that Governors Peter Odili of Rivers State and Donald Duke of Cross River had dumped the meeting for different reasons.
In the case of Odili, it was thought he would not attend the summit so that he could play a big part in the wedding of Muhammadu Babangida, son of the former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was tying the nuptial knots with his heartthrob, Rahama Indimi, that weekend. Political observers believed Odili, nursing the ambition of being the vice-presidential candidate to Babangida if the latter picked the ticket of the PDP, could not afford to be missing at the wedding ceremonies where party big-wigs and the creme-de-la-creme of the society would converge. It was thought the marriage was more important to him at the instance. It was a misplaced thought; they were wrong.
As for Duke, his absence at the gala nite was attributed to a case of personal disagreement with his brother Governor of a sister state.
Governor Donald Duke of Cross River State and Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom state do not see eye-to-eye these days on a lot of issues.
First, the two states were in dispute over the ownership of Bakassi which was conceded to Cross River State. That rankled the Akwa Ibom Governor and his people. Bakassi, they thought and believed, was part and parcel of their state.
Then the two states are embroiled in a very bitter border dispute between two communities: Oku Iboku (Itu) in Akwa Ibom State and Ikot Offiong (Odukpani) in Cross River State.
The border crisis had degenerated to the extent that Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mr Bassey Ewa, was reported to be throwing brickbat on the person of Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State .
However, the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly warned Hon. Ewa to exercise restraint in commenting on issues that would aggravate the already tensed situation, saying we “reaffirm our implicit confidence in our governor as a peace-loving and diligent statesman who would stop at nothing in ensuring that peace reigns not only between Akwa Ibom and Cross River but also in the entire Niger Delta.”
The federal government had to step in to stop leaders of both states from making further inflammatory statements on the matter when it was getting out of hand.
Such was the bitter situation between Akwa Ibom and Cross River States before the Governors’ summit last weekend. As analysts predicted that Duke would stay away, so did he. He sent in no apologies and no representation.
On Saturday, July 10, the date for the summit proper, the Akwa Ibom State government had previously lined up a visit by the Governors to some of the projects of his administration for 9:00am that day, but cancelled it, sensing that the meeting of that day would be a tug of war.
The governors of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States had converged on the Akwa Ibom Government House so that they would all go in a convoy to the venue of the summit.
However, people were surprised when Governor Peter Odili, who was not at the gala nite the previous day and who people thought would not be at the summit made a grand entrance into the Ibom hall venue of summit accompanied by his deputy, Sir Gabriel Toby, around 10:13am. He did not bother to join the other governors at the Government House, Uyo for a convoy ride. The other Governors arrived the venue of the summit about thirty minutes after the arrival of Governor Odili and his Deputy.
The South-South Governors’ summit began. The host Governor, Attah, read his keynote address where he outlined the agenda of the summit.
According to him, topping the agenda was the issue of a replacement for Dikibo and the position of the zone in the race for 2007. Obong Attah said the issues to be discussed by the governors fell into two broad categories: Matters to be discussed at the national level but on which the South-South must have a position; and issues that deal particularly with the South-South.
Attah listed the national issues on which the South-South must have a position as true fiscal federalism; local government creation; privatisation and other reforms; excess crude oil revenue and immunity.
On matters affecting the South-South States, the Akwa Ibom State Governor lamented that the Police had done a shoddy job in finding Dikibo’s killers, saying inasmuch as he felt hurt as he spoke of Dikibo in the past tense, the South-South PDP must find a replacement for the slain politician.
On the South-South’s position for 2007, he said the region is among the highest voting blocs since independence and “in this lay our political strength. I pray that we do not lose that strength in 2007 and may we use that strength, not only for the choice of leadership, but also to secure a place for the South-South in that leadership equation. Meanwhile, we must discuss what we want in 2007”, he said,
Other items listed on the Governors’ agenda, according to Governor Attah, were the issue of 13% derivation and resource control; the issue of revenue allocation formula; the controversies surrounding the passage of the Electoral Act and the issue of bringing peace to the Niger Delta region.
On the Electoral Act, Attah lamented a situation “in which elected officers can be sworn into their respective offices up to one year and yet tribunals are still sitting over their cases.” He said such situation “is not only distracting but absolutely ridiculous.”
Governor Lucky Igbinedion made a speech on behalf of the other Governors, urging them to speak with one voice. While he was speaking, Chief Tony Anenih, party’s board of trustees chairman made an entrance.
The Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo made an excuse for the other ministers from the zone who were absent saying they were not aware they could be part of the meeting.
Senator Udoma Udo Udoma in his vote of thanks thanked the president for signing the onshore/offshore bill. He thanked the Governors for attending the meeting and the senators also, despite the fact that they were on recess.
After all the ceremonies, all reporters, non-party members, non-accredited members, and other hangers-on were excused from the hall. The summit proper had begun.
After over four hours of waiting, the governors and other party big-wigs from the zone all emerged from the hall, all poker-faced, none willing to talk to the press as all entered their respective vehicles and sped off.
However, after a few phone calls, an impeccable source at the meeting revealed to Vanguard the intrigues that went on behind closed-doors.
According to the source, the Governors discussed only one item on the agenda: the issue of finding a replacement for the slain Dr. A.K. Dikibo.
The source said Governor Peter Odili of Rivers state wanted the slain politician replaced by his Special Adviser on Land and Survey, Chief Godspower Ake. His position was supported by Chief Tony Anenih, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees.
Odili’s nomination of Ake as replacement for Dikibo did not come as a surprise to many as speculation had been rife that he would nominate the man.
In fact, Dr Odili had introduced Chief Godspower Ake as “the incoming National Vice Chairman, (South-South) of the PDP” at the commissioning of a 30,000 tank farm storage facility acquired by Oando Plc and the Onne Oil and gas free zone in Port Harcourt, last month.
Odili’s position and insistence that Ake should be the replacement, according to information available to Vanguard, was based on the fact that Harry Marshall who eventually moved to the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, served as the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South; also, Dikibo, who was killed had actually commenced another tenure of office for the same position. In his own reckoning, therefore, it should just be natural for Rivers State to produce the replacement.
However, even within his own Rivers State, opposition had mounted against Chief Ake, who was the Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly in the Second Republic.
A youth group, Riverine Youth Movement in opposing Ake’s nomination had said Dikibo’s replacement should come from the same riverine area as the slain politician, besides, they say Ake is from the same local government area as Odili. A digression.
Vanguard’s source said Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha also nominated another candidate, Dr. Tarila Tebepah and was supported by Governors Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State; Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State and James Ibori of Delta State who felt that the position should be rotational as the last two occupiers were from Rivers State.
It then became a case of the backers of Ake against the backers of Tebepah with nobody willing to yield an inch of ground.
The source said even the looming “leader” figure of Anenih did not sway any of the four governors backing Tebepah. When it was found that nobody was willing to yield after over four hours of deliberation, and politicking, the governors decided that since nobody was willing to yield ground, the two candidates should be made to face an election of the larger meeting of delegates from the south-south zone. They also decided to shift the meeting to Abuja where they could meet the national leadership of the party and as well tackle other items on the agenda.
The governors have since Sunday moved to Abuja and the intrigues and politicking continue.
As for Duke who stayed away from the summit in Uyo, nobody knows if he would be in Abuja for the rescheduled talks. But if he decides to go to Abuja, observers believe he would join hands with Dr Odili and Chief Anenih to bolster the chance of Ake clinching the position.
Vanguard can authoritatively reveal that this underhand face-off between the governors of the South-South is merely reflective of the larger battles ahead when the real contest for who gets the vice presidential slot of the PDP comes.
Jocularly, it has become common place to hear people talk about most governors of the South-South States as eyeing the vice presidential slot. It is the pursuit of this aspiration that creates the unneeded tension which continues to dog every move of the governors.
How this aspiration would be managed alongside the need to unite the leadership of the zone is something which time will determine.
