A leadership tussle has emerged within the Progressive Governors’ Forum [PGF] as rival blocs of All Progressives Congress [APC] governors align behind Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Uzodimma, who chairs the forum, insisted on Friday that he remains in charge, with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani serving as deputy chairman. His camp passed a vote of confidence in him during an emergency meeting at the Imo State Lodge in Abuja.
Governors present at the meeting included Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Ahmed Ododo of Kogi, Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo and Emmanuel Akabe, deputy governor of Nasarawa state, who represented his principal. Other states backing Uzodimma include Lagos, Gombe, Edo, Ekiti and Ebonyi.
The rival bloc is said to be aligned with Abiodun and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Governors in this camp are reportedly from Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Enugu and Katsina.
The split follows reports earlier in the week that Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah had emerged as the new PGF chairman after an extraordinary meeting of APC governors in Abuja on Thursday night. About 20 governors, including those from Ogun, Bayelsa and Enugu, were said to have attended the closed-door meeting.
The PGF had earlier denied claims that Uzodimma was removed as chairman. Neither faction has issued a detailed statement explaining the cause of the division, and the exact nature of the disagreement remained unclear at the time of filing this report.
