Mimiko challeges Amaechi over NGF video

By DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE — FACTIONAL Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, yesterday, challenged the Governor Rotimi Amaechi faction to release to the public the video recording of the three-hour exercise.
Speaking at this years Democracy day lecture in Akure, Mimiko said that the Amaechi faction only released a 10 minutes part of the video that favours them.
The governor said: “Nigerians should ask the Pro-Amaechi’s group why he presided over an election which he is also contesting. I specifically raised that issue and insisted that he must resign but his supporters maintained that he should supervise the poll as a sitting chairman.
“They asked me whether I resigned my position while seeking a re-election for a second term in office and I replied them that it was not the same thing because the NGF is like an association not a democratic institution which had its existence entrenched in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“When it was obvious that we could not guarantee the source of the ballot boxes and papers brought by Amaechi, I protested again that we should conduct the election openly by raising up our hands in support of our preferred candidate, again, they rejected it.
“The ballot papers they produced were without serial numbers and we discovered this was a fraud, hence there were protests.
“They never captured all these facts in their video but merely recorded the fraction of the process which was in line with their pre-determined agenda.”
The Democracy lecture was delivered by Prof Bola Akinterinwa the Director General Nigerian Institute of International Affair NIIA with the title “”Democracy, security and Development, the challenges of Ondo state as a catalyst Agent”
Also the National Chairman of Labour Party Mr Dan Nwayanwun has faulted the purported emergence of Mr Rotimi Amaechi as the factional chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum(NGF).
Nwanyanwu said in Akure that the claim of Rivers State governor as NGF helmsman defiled all known moral and legal requirements.
However Dr Mimiko said the governors had a shouting match over the desperation of the former chairman to retain the seat at all means.