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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has reacted to Governor Nyesom Wike’s seemingly referring to the Forum as a ‘beggars forum, a toothless bulldog that can only bark and can’t bite.’
According to a statement issued by the NGF’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the Rivers governor, being an active member of the NGF himself, could not have been referring to the body in such terms.
Wike was mocking NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi for watching APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole disqualify Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting in the party’s upcoming primary for the party ticket in the September governorship election.
Governors must be bold enough to speak up when things are wrong pic.twitter.com/6UX2JFIGPu
— Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (@GovWike) June 15, 2020
The NGF pointed to the author of the release, Rivers Information Commissioner Paulinus Nsirim for what it called a ‘misrepresentation’.
‘Beggars Forum: Governor Wike is an old member of the NGF and a strong one at that. He could not have referred to the NGF as a Beggars Forum. Blame it on the author of the release, Mr [Paulinus] Nsirim, the Information Commissioner in Rivers State, who couldn’t distinguish between the NGF and the Progressive Governors Forum which is the political platform of APC Governors,’ the NGF statement read.
‘The NGF has six core mandate areas and politics isn’t one of them. The NGF is happy to state that Governor Wike is one of its strong members and has delegated his Deputy Governor to the Forum and she has never missed any meeting.
‘The NGF appeals to all media advisers to seek to acquaint themselves with the different groups that their Chief Executives belong to in order to avoid making such misrepresentations that are entirely political and not governance-related.’
