Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Friday, demanding the immediate restructuring of the country.
The governors also called for urgent devolution of power in a way that would favour the second and third tiers of government.
They said restructuring and power devolution should be done in a way that would bring together various groups and tendencies in the country.
The governors, in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, said it had become imperative and timely because, according to them, Nigeria cannot afford another civil war at this period.
The communiqué was signed by the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and the Vice-Chairman, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
Other governors in attendance were Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Oluseyi Makinde (Oyo), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
The Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Baba Tela, represented his principal, Governor Bala Mohammed.
The PDP governors called on the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to send a new revenue allocation formula that allocates more resources to states and local governments to President Muhammadu Buhari for the National Assembly’s action.
The communiqué expressed deep concern and alarm at the deteriorating relations between various groups in Nigeria, saying, “The governors were deeply worried that indeed, all our fault lines and differences are being stretched to the limit by a government that clearly lacks the capacity to govern.
“The meeting agreed that this has given rise to ethnic and tribal tensions, religious divisions, and various forms of social and political cleavages. The governors concluded that Nigeria is in dire need of leadership at the federal level to avert the looming disaster.
“Time has come to take advantage of the ongoing constitution amendment process to decentralise the security architecture of Nigeria and involve states and local governments.”
According to them, security of lives and property of Nigerians are no longer guaranteed under the present government as a result of “leadership incompetence and mismanagement” of the country’s affairs.
“While noting that governors have a role to play in the handling of some of the worsening situations, they regret that their hands are tied behind their backs as the entire coercive authority in the country is monopolised by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.”
Meanwhile, the PDP governors have condemned the “double standards” applied by the APC-led Federal Government to allegedly intimidate opposition states.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant to the Rivers governor, Kelvin Ebiri, on Friday, the governor said, “It is a scandal that 21 years after the 1999 Constitution came into being, no new revenue formula is in place.
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