NGF election: Northern Governors adopt Jang

By The Nation Newspaper

In what appeared a game changer, the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) on Friday ad opted Governor Jonah Jang as its consensus candidate for the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

This followed the refusal of Governors Ibrahim Shema and Isa Yuguda to step down for each other.

Based on the resolution, Jang collected the form to contest for the seat with the incumbent at about 3.45pm before the NGF meeting started at 4pm.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “At the Northern Governors Forum session, neither Shema nor Yuguda was ready to step down. We felt it would not be good for the North to go to the poll disunited.

“Some of us also felt that we should go for a neutral candidate so that the presidency and pro-Amaechi camps will not claim to any superiority.

“We also went for a Christian governor to underscore our determination to bring peace and stability to the North.

“He also appears to be one of the oldest in our midst having been a military governor twice when some members of the NGF were even in secondary school.”

With the development, the NGF election will now be a straight fight between the outgoing NGF chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Jang.

A highly-placed source said: “With a likely bloc votes from the Northern Governors Forum, Jang may emerge as the new NGF chairman.

“I do not see the Northern governors betraying Jang. They all want to put this suspicion from the presidency behind them.”