Oshiomhole Narrates How NGF Election Was Won And Lost

The ripples of the disputed Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election continued yesterday at the ninth Triennial Delegates Conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), held the delegates spell-bound on what transpired at the NGF election.

He spoke of his shock at the attitude of some of his colleagues who are disputing the result of an election of only 35 electors.

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi won the election, but Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, who lost by 16 votes to 19, with the backing of the Presidency, is claiming victory.

Oshiomhole urged Labour leaders to speak out on the matter, saying they should advise Jang to stop parading himself as the NGF chair.

Oshiomhole said: “When the facts are so clear, Comrade President of TUC, you can’t be quiet. You must take a position, if you believe from all that you have heard and seen. If you believe that Jang won, say so. And if you know that he did not, tell him to stop Janging.”

“Thirty five people went into a poll and, then they were saying ‘let us make this open, the world is watching us. And then they were talking. One by one, they were sermonising; very seasoned pentecostal pastors.

“They said we must do open ballot and I said how can we do open ballot when you were already fighting before the ballot. Let’s do secret ballots. I said secret ballot has been domesticated worldwide and I said we are products of secret ballots, why are we afraid to do secret ballot. I said one man, one vote.

“And 35 men voted and my twin brother from Delta State (Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan) became the chief agent of the two candidates. He went to stand by the Director-General of the NGF, Dr. Asissana Okauru, who was unanimously appointed one month earlier as the returning officer.

They counted 35 ballot papers. They had 36, but one person was absent. So, one by one in the open, open-secret ballot, we voted. The papers were with two names; pick the one you want.

“And they counted these votes and they were 35 representing the 35 people that were present. And when they were counting ‘Jang! Jang!!, the Niger Governor (Babangida Aliyu) said ‘Jang in early lead’. I said early lead indeed. After that they said Amaechi! Ameachi!! , Amaechi!!’

“And in the end, the votes were counted and Jang janged in 16 votes and Ameachi mashalled in 19 votes. The winner emerged and the same people started saying ‘no! no!!; we are going to walk out’. I said ‘how can you walk out? Even in madness, there are levels of madness’. “