2015: YAR’ADUA’S MEN PLOT SAMBO’S REMOVAL •TIP SHEMA AS REPLACEMENT •LAMIDO ALSO IN THE RACE

THERE is tension within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), following moves being made in some quarters for the replacement of Vice president Namadi Sambo ahead of the 2015 election.

It was learnt that loyalists of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua are championing the fresh bid, which they described as moves to properly immortalise the memory of the late president.

It was gathered that the argument among Yar’Adua’s loyalists who are rooting for Sambo’s replacement with Katsina State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema was that it would further cement the Jonathan-Yar’Adua ticket which was kicked off in 2007.

They have also argued that the bid would suit the intention of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who wanted to pacify the Yar’Adua family by ceding the presidential ticked to Umaru in 2007.

According to sources Obasanjo wanted to pacify the late Gen Shehu Musa Yar’Adua’s commitment to one Nigeria and his untimely death in 1997 by making his younger brother President but he also died due to illness.

The group further claimed that President Jonathan would further cement his political marriage with the Yar’adua family by picking somebody who represents that political family as the Vice president.

Besides being a thorough party man, Shema is also seen as an acceptable voice across the North who could rally the zone in support of Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.

It was gatgered that the group pushing the agemda has got the message across to both Shema and President Jonathan.

In recent times, Shema has been playonmg the peacemaker role in the PDP as he led the bid to resolve the South West zonal crisis, with a meeting with party chairman, Bamanga Tukur.

He is also being tipped to replace Chief Rotimi Amaechi as Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

It was gathered that the PDP is  witnessing high wired politics as crisis is said to be brewing over report that some party chiefs in the north are bent on the replacment of Vice President Sambo as a condition for peace within the party.

Increasingly, Shema is fingered as the rallying point of those pushing for Sambo`s replacement. However, North West governors said to be fighting back against possible replacement of Sambo ahead of the 2015 election.

Governors of Jigawa, Kano and Sokoto are said to be unhappy with reports of new found love between the presidency and the Katsina governor even as they see the new role assigned to him by the presidency and the party leadership as a signal of what is to come.

Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed that ever since the rupture in the relationship between the presidency and governor Amaechi of Rivers State, the rapprochement between the presidency and some northern governors had deepened. It was however reported that the closeness of the Katsina governor to the president is seen to have become too close.

Reports indicated that while the president indeed reached out to governors of Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and Katsina peace options which could be favourble to the North were discussed.

The new prominence given to Shema was said to be behind the boycott of the north west meeting  by some party chieftains even as Shema is said to have concluded arrangements to succeed Amaechi when the Governors` Forum meets in the next few weeks.

Loyalists of Vice President Sambo were however said to be insisting that their boss is a safe hand than any other possible replacement, noting that no president will want a repeat of the Obasanjo-Atiku feud.

A loyalist of Sambo told the Nigerian Tribune that “the Vice President is not losing any sleep over the rumours as the relationship with his boss is ever robust. Forget about all the rumours; the president has confidence in his deputy as a safe hand for the 2015 polls.”

If Sambo camp is publicly denying the reports, it was learnt that the Kaduna state governor, Abdulahi Yaro has also commenced  fieldwork for his boss, the Vice President, an offensive said to have taken the young governor on secret political missions to Kano and some influential northerners.

The governors of Kano, Jigawa and Niger are also said to be worried about Shema’s rising profile with reports that the trio had vowed to resist Shema’s nomination and rather stick to Sambo in a worst case scenario.

A source from Kano confessed to Nigerian Tribune that replacing Sambo with Shema would not solve  the president`s problems with the North, hinting that the governors of Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kaduna are united in their opposition to Shema’s candidacy.

Meanwhile, Governor Shema has embraced the task given to  him with passion, leading to his meeting many political leaders from the South West while also using the platform to deploy his old political contacts as the former Deputy National Chairman of the party for the northern zone.

Many aggrieved party leaders from all over the country are said to be reaching out to him as a peace maker with reports indicating that former Osun state governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and former governor Segun Oni of Ekiti State had reached him. Shema too is said to have taken up the task with a meeting with the PDP chairman, Bamanga Tukur, requesting for resolution of the South West PDP crisis.

It was however learnt that anti-Shema forces are bent on frustrating the Katsina chief as any success recorded will further empower him in his bid to snatch the vice presidency from the incumbent.

As the controversy rages within the north, the presidency is reported to be equally confused especially in view of the sudden gang up against Shema by his northern colleagues.

As of the time of going to press, the battle is reported to be still raging with the president still leaving all the cards on the table on the issue of his running mate if and when he decides to run for re-election in 2015.

Source: Tribune