The attendees expressed unhappiness with the crisis in Rivers State legislature.
Eleven out of the 23 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors, shunned the meeting of their forum held last night in Abuja.
Prominent among those who were absent at the meeting were the Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, who also chairs the Northern State Governors Forum, NSGF; Sule Lamido, (Jigawa); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) all of whom are believed to have an axe to grind with the party’s national leadership.
They also have sympathy for Governor Chibuike Amaechi over the crisis in the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, which he won, but which another group led by the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, rejected.
Other governors who did not attend the meeting held at the Akwa Ibom State Governors Lodge were those of Taraba, Cross River, Kebbi, Bauchi and Ebonyi.
Mr. Amaechi is currently suspended from the party.
Those in attendance were the governors of Benue, Kogi, Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Katsina and Akwa Ibom States while those of Gombe, Plateau, Kwara and Kaduna were represented by their deputies.
The meeting of the PDP Governors Forum, PDPGF, headed by the Akwa Ibom Governor, Godswill Akpabio, which was earlier slated for 3 p.m., did not take off until about 8 p.m.
At some point, the National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, who was on hand to brief the governors on some party issues had to leave the venue, apparently due to poor attendance.
Mr. Akpabio said after the meeting that several issues were discussed, among them the lingering crisis in Rivers State and the coming national convention of the party.
According to him, the forum resolved to give the national chairman the necessary support by mobilising delegates for the convention where some members of the National Working Committee will be elected.
Mr. Akpabio described the incident at the Rivers State House of Assembly as unfortunate just as he pleaded with the two factions to bury the hatchet and come together in the interest of the state and democracy.
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