Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and his sympathisers in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, might have opted to reschedule the time of their meeting so as to attend a dinner with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Findings by Vanguard indicated that the pro-Amaechi governors, who were already in Abuja, decided to tinker with their meeting so as to attend the dinner, which was also slated for 8pm, as a mark of respect to President Jonathan.

Vanguard learnt that as at 7pm, five of the 19 governors, who are in support of Amaechi, were already at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge for the meeting.

But a source close to one of the governors said that Amaechi had been meeting with his colleagues with a view to deciding whether to shift the NGF meeting until after the Presidential dinner or to reschedule it altogether.

“It is a fact that all the governors have agreed to attend the Presidential dinner. But what we don’t know as we speak is whether they are coming back to the Rivers Lodge for the meeting or not,” a source said.

It was learnt that Amaechi and his colleagues did not want to boycott the dinner, which many see as a ploy to stall the NGF meeting, so as not to give the impression that they were at war with the President.

Amaechi won the NGF election on May 24, 2013 but those opposed to him later presented Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, claiming that he had earlier been adopted by the Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, as their consensus candidate.

That notwithstanding, President Jonathan has already recognised Jang as the leader of the NGF, thus giving a tacit support to Jang to claim legitimacy, which the pro-Amaechi governors have challenged in court and asked him not to parade himself as such.

Amaechi has even warned Jang to stop impersonating him as the NGF chairman.

Both cases are pending in courts.

Read more: Vanguard Newspapers