A fresh crisis has hit the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) following claims that 20 governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have passed a vote of no confidence in the forum’s chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
The governors reportedly accused Uzodimma of financial impropriety and loss of confidence in his leadership.
According to Premium Times, the extraordinary meeting was held on Thursday night in Abuja, shortly after Vice President Kashim Shettima submitted President Bola Tinubu’s presidential nomination forms.
According to two APC governors who spoke with Premium Times, the governors resolved to replace Uzodimma with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, as the new chairman of the forum.
One of the governors said, “If you are accused of impropriety, you should step down or render account.”
A second governor said the PGF, being a voluntary association, operates differently from legislative bodies such as the National Assembly.
“They can decide to remove the chairman for the reasons stated,” the governor said.
Both governors insisted that, as far as they were concerned, Uzodimma had been removed and Mbah had become the new chairman.
Tinubu Reportedly Informed
The governors reportedly raised concerns about Uzodimma’s leadership style, alleged financial impropriety, and failure to provide satisfactory explanations for the allegations against him.
They were also said to have informed President Bola Tinubu of their decision. It was, however, unclear whether the President had intervened in the crisis, which had reportedly been brewing for weeks.
About 20 governors were said to have attended the meeting, with some participating virtually.
Governors said to have voted against Uzodimma were from Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Benue, Niger, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Enugu, Ebonyi, Ogun, Borno, Taraba, Katsina, Kebbi and Kano states.
Those reportedly backing Uzodimma are the governors of Yobe, Lagos, Gombe, Kogi, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna states.
Following the report, the PGF Director General, Folorunso Aluko, denied that any such meeting or resolution took place.
In a statement, Aluko described the report as false.
He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Progressive Governors Forum states categorically that the report is entirely false, baseless, and without an iota of truth.”
The forum said its secretariat had no record of any resolution removing Uzodimma from office.
“The PGF secretariat has no record of, and is not aware of, any resolution removing the Chairman. His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, remains the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum,” the statement added.
