Some prominent lawyers on Monday in Lagos said the ongoing crisis within the Nigeria Governors’ Forum was a threat to the nation’s democracy.
The lawyers were reacting to the dispute arising from the forum’s chairmanship election on Friday.
The NGF broke up into two factions on Friday after the forum’s secretariat declared Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State reelected as chairman of the group by 19 votes to Plateau State’s Governor Jonah Jang’s 16.
But a faction led by Jang and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State disputed the result, arguing that Amaechi should have stepped down before the election took place.
The lawyers told the News Agency of Nigeria in separate interviews that the crisis was capable of derailing Nigeria’s democracy.
A constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, said the action of the governors was an embarrassment and a threat to the country’s democratic experiment.
Sagay said: “It is shameful and embarrassing.
“The results were declared and we all saw it on national television.
“One would normally expect the loser to congratulate the winner but they left the venue in anger and decided to form a splinter group.
“Their actions have shown that they have contempt for democracy and the rule of law.”
Onyekachi Ubani, the Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja, Lagos State branch, said the disputed election was a sad situation.
Ubani wondered why a group of only 36 persons could not conduct an acceptable election.
He said: “The NGF, as it stands today, is already divided and it is a dangerous signal to our democracy.”
Another lawyer, West Idahosa, said the NGF must maintain its independence in the best interest of Nigeria.
Idahosa, a former member of the House of Representatives, urged the factions to embrace peace in the interest of the country.
He said: “I’m urging the governors who lost to accept defeat.
“You can only lead by example and you cannot be talking of democracy while you are not practising it.”
Wale Ogunade, a lawyer, said that the crisis that arose showed the level of disregard for election results.
Ogunade said: “What example has the governors set for the people by resorting to self-help after an election was held?
“The forum is only inviting anarchy.”
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