Next NGF Chair Should Come From South, Says Dickson – TheNigerialawyer

The Governor of Bayelsa State, who is also the Chairman of the
South-South Governors Forum, Seriake Dickson, has called on the 36
Governors of the Federation to adhere to the principle of rotation
in the election of a new leader for the Nigerian Governors
Forum.

The Governor said in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media
Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, in Abuja on Wednesday, that the
decision on who should be the next Chairman òf the Forum should be
guided by the time-tested principle of rotation between the North
and South.

The Governor said that the next Chairman òf the NGF should come
from the South with the end of the tenure of Governor Abdulazeez
Yari òf Zamfara State.

The Governor added that the governors elected under the platform
of the Peoples Democratic Party would not contest the position in
consonance with the precedence that the NGF Chairman should be a
ranking governor from the ruling political party.

He stressed that the PDP Governors would not make any move to
endanger the time honoured principle guiding the emergence of the
Chairman of the NGF.

However, the Governor noted that the next NGF Chairman should
emerge preferably through consensus among the members of the
NGF.

Members of the NGF are meeting in Abuja later tonight to elect a
new chairman.

Both the Governors of Ekiti and Kaduna States, Kayode Fayemi and
Nasir El-Rufai are said to be interested in the position.

Dickson said, “I am calling on the governors who would assemble
today to take a decision on the Chairmanship òf the Governor’s
Forum to be guided by the timetested principle of rotation between
the North and the South.

“Now that the Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari, Governor òf Zamfara State
would be ending his tenure, we expect that the next chairman should
come from the South.

“The precedence is that the ruling party produces the Chairman.
The PDP Governors have no desire to be disruptive and expect
thatAbdulfatai Yahaya-Seriki, a ranking Governor from the APC, the
party with the majority would be the next chairman.

He congratulated his Zamfara counterpart on the successful
completion of his tenure during which he said the governor
collaborated with the Federal Government to address “a myriad of
issues such as the refund of the Paris club money, and other issues
affecting state finances.”

Dickson wished him a successful tenure in the National Assembly
where he has been elected senator.

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