Indications emerged at the weekend that two governors, one each from the North and South, may lose their jobs in the next two weeks. The Night of the long Knives was supposed to have been unleashed on the governors last weekend, but somehow, it didn’t work out as the Presidency, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as other power blocs moved to consolidate ahead of the 2015 general elections.
According to the Sun, with the two governors set to go were hints that the ruling PDP may sack nine State Executive Councils considered enemies of the government. The proponents of the move may be working on two fronts through the courts and the party machinery. Some of the state excos have cases in courts while the other option is for the party using the state apparatus to remove their officials. A sources who is a lawyer, said many pro-Jonathan governors at the weekend were in Abuja to strategise and fine-tune moves. Some of the governors shelved their weekend engagements.
They are expected to be joined by those who travelled out of the country. While the two governors may be removed by the court, caretaker committees would take charge of states which lost their excos, the source who refused to disclose his identity said last night that arrangements have been concluded to oust a South-East governor and that the judgment was expected to be delivered this week, said a similar fate would “in the next few weeks,” befall another governor from the North.
He offered that the courts would rely on the processes that threw up the governors as the flagbearers in April 2011 to void their candidacy. “As we speak, the governor’s fate has been sealed and delivered. What we are waiting for is when the court would make the pronouncement, which, Insha Allahu, shouldn’t be beyond this week,” offered the source.
A few weeks ago, an Abuja High Court, in a surprise move, sacked the Rivers State PDP executive believed to be loyal to Governor Rotimi Amaechi who is having issues with the Presidency.