Five Ex-Heads Of State Attend COS Meeting ‘Why Amaechi Was Absent’

Former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdusalami Abubakar and former President Shehu Shagari  attended the Council of State meeting in Abuja.
Former Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan was also at the meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House.


Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President, Sen. David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwa and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, were also at the meeting.
The retired Chief Justices of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwais, Alfa Belgore, Legbo Kutigi and Dahiru Mustapher were also at the meeting.
Our Correspondent reports that 20 state governors attended the meeting which started at about 10.45 a.m.
Some of the other governors absent were represented by their deputies at the meeting.
The governors in attendance included Theodore orji (Abia), Peter Obi (Anambra), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo).
Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) also attended.
Also at the meeting were Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Idris Wada (Kogi), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi).
Our Correspondent also reports that Tambuwal stepped out of the meeting at about 40 minutes after it started and Fashola similarly left at about an hour after.
The council is an organ of the Federal Government with statutory function of advising the executive on policy making.
It consists of the President as the Chairman and the Vice President as the Deputy Chairman.
Other members include all former Presidents and Heads of State and all former Chief Justices of Nigeria.
The Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, all incumbent state governors and the AG-F are also members.
The council has the responsibilities to advise the president in the exercise of his powers with respect to the prerogative of mercy and award of national honours.
The council also advises the president on issues of elections, judiciary and population census as well as appointments of members of INEC, National Judicial Commission and National Population Commission.
It also advises the president, whenever requested to do so, on the maintenance of public order within the federation or any parts thereof and on such other matters as the president may direct.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi was absent at yesterday’s National Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, at which President Goodluck Jonathan presided.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former head of State, Muhammadu Buhari were also absent at the first council of State meeting for the year. It is also the first Council of State meeting in one year.
However, The Tide has confirmed the reason for Amaechi’s absence from the meeting.
The Tide authoritatively reveals that Amaechi was out of the country on assignment, and had not returned as at the time of the meeting.
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, who stated this in an interview in Port Harcourt, yesterday while, confirming the governor’s absence at the meeting, said that the governor was out on an official state assignment, though she did not give further details.
“The governor is out of town and so could not attend the National Council of State Meeting today”” (Tuesday), she said.
Five former Heads of State and 20 governors attended the meeting, with deputy governors representing the governors who did not attend.