Two governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and Prof. Babagana Zulum of Borno State, have emerged as strong contenders for the position of chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), according to sources.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the two governors have reportedly garnered significant support from both the party and the forum.
The APC, which won the highest number of governors in the recently concluded election, is entitled to pick the NGF chairman.
The party had seven governors re-elected in the 2023 governorship election, including Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Muni (Yobe), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), and Babagana Zulum (Borno). The party also secured wins for nine new candidates.
The PDP, with the second highest number of governors, will produce the deputy chairman. Three PDP governors secured re-election, while seven others are first-term governors.
The NGF chairman is selected from among governors of the majority party. First-termers are not eligible to vie for the position.
The immediate past chairman of the forum is former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, but his tenure was completed by Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who was elected in an off-season poll and served until May 29, 2023.
