A proposed new power sharing formula between legacy members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defectors is causing some disquiet as it is expected to throw up General Muhammadu Buhari as the party presidential candidate and Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate, Saturday Tribune has learnt.
The party has reportedly, by unspoken accord, zoned its presidential ticket to the North and vice presidential ticket to the South.
According to findings, a legacy member is primed to pick the presidential ticket while a defector picks the vice presidential ticket.
The formula, it was learnt, was designed to suit a consensus arrangement that the national leadership is working towards to favour Buhari.The formula is expected to knock out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Buhari’s major contenders for the presidential ticket.
It is believed that the formula will also get Amaechi’s competitors off his back in the South, being the only defector-governor from PDP in the zone.
Many national leaders of the party, including national officers, are said to be committed to the emergence of Buhari as the party’s presidential standard-bearer.
Amaechi is pencilled in as his running mate.
A leader of the party, who is a part of the Buhari project, however, told Saturday Tribune that nothing was sacrosanct on Amaechi.
He disclosed that many of them were rooting for the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola.
When reminded of the opposition to a probable Muslim-Muslim ticket, which Fashola’s inclusion would bring about, he said Nigerians would think of Fashola more as a performing governor than a religious zealot.
A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) from the South, who is pro-Atiku Abubakar, told Saturday Tribune that other presidential aspirants were aware of the national leadership’s bias for Buhari, “but we will resist it.”
He said it had gotten to a scandalous level for many of his colleagues in the national leadership, adding that “they are just joking. We will fight this to the end.”
On alleged plan to expel members who would oppose the planned adoption of Buhari as a consensus candidate when the time is ripe, the source said: “They will expel till they are tired because they have to expel all of us who support Atiku and Kwankwaso. They are jokers.”
He alleged that the national leaders were planning to foist Buhari on the party, “because they know he has no political stamina and could be easily pushed off if he is making them uncomfortable, unlike Atiku or Kwankwaso who they can’t toy with anyhow.”
The source stated further that those thinking of consensus should perish such thought as they had resolved to see the primary through to a logical conclusion.
“If they beat us, fine, but we will not just chicken out because of the agenda of some people,” he added.
Another Buhari supporter reasoned: “Only Buhari will leave the party today and the party will shake. We will beg Kwankwaso because he is influential and his state is strategic. Let’s see how far Atiku can go.”
The party’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, refuted the allegation of bias in Buhari’s favour.
“For us as leaders, we are committed to providing a level playing field and that is why the national leadership told us that it was either we attend the declaration of all the presidential aspirants or none.
“The rule is that if you attend one, then be ready to attend all so that our appearance at a certain declaration would not be read as endorsement of a particular aspirant. But to show all the aspirants that we approve of them, we designated the national secretary to represent the party leadership in all the declarations,” Mohammed said.
The issue of the geopolitical zone to produce the vice presidential candidate is said to still be unresolved, despite the initial understanding that South-West would have it, with permutations throwing up the likes of a former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
A source revealed that the party leaders are gradually buying the South-South argument and unless the number two ticket is given to it as a replacement for its own, President Goodluck Jonathan, expected to be sacked as number one, there would be nothing to pacify the zone to vote APC.
Amaechi is also reportedly seen as a more committed member of the party than his Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, whose politics is said not to be trusted by party leadership.
His controversial entry into and withdrawal from the presidential race reportedly further gave vent to the issue of trust around him.
Beyond the South-South narrative, the sudden rebound of PDP in the South-West was said to have weakened the zone’s initial unchallenged claim to APC’s vice presidential slot.
The party, on Friday, fixed 29 October for a special convention where amendments to the party’s constitution on those that will be eligible as delegates to the presidential primaries will be ratified.
Alhaji Mohammed told Saturday Tribune that until the amendment was ratified, it would be difficult to say the exact number of delegates to the said primaries, how the delegates would emerge and those that would be qualified to be.
“INEC said indirect primary must be clearly stated in our constitution if that is what we are adopting. That is what we are adopting and we have to include it in our constitution.
“INEC also said that the primaries must hold under one roof. We will consider the largest venue we can get and see how many delegates it can contain. Until we amend our constitution, nothing can be specific,” he said.
Source: Tribune
The party has reportedly, by unspoken accord, zoned its presidential ticket to the North and vice presidential ticket to the South.
According to findings, a legacy member is primed to pick the presidential ticket while a defector picks the vice presidential ticket.
The formula, it was learnt, was designed to suit a consensus arrangement that the national leadership is working towards to favour Buhari.The formula is expected to knock out former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Buhari’s major contenders for the presidential ticket.
It is believed that the formula will also get Amaechi’s competitors off his back in the South, being the only defector-governor from PDP in the zone.
Many national leaders of the party, including national officers, are said to be committed to the emergence of Buhari as the party’s presidential standard-bearer.
Amaechi is pencilled in as his running mate.
A leader of the party, who is a part of the Buhari project, however, told Saturday Tribune that nothing was sacrosanct on Amaechi.
He disclosed that many of them were rooting for the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola.
When reminded of the opposition to a probable Muslim-Muslim ticket, which Fashola’s inclusion would bring about, he said Nigerians would think of Fashola more as a performing governor than a religious zealot.
A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) from the South, who is pro-Atiku Abubakar, told Saturday Tribune that other presidential aspirants were aware of the national leadership’s bias for Buhari, “but we will resist it.”
He said it had gotten to a scandalous level for many of his colleagues in the national leadership, adding that “they are just joking. We will fight this to the end.”
On alleged plan to expel members who would oppose the planned adoption of Buhari as a consensus candidate when the time is ripe, the source said: “They will expel till they are tired because they have to expel all of us who support Atiku and Kwankwaso. They are jokers.”
He alleged that the national leaders were planning to foist Buhari on the party, “because they know he has no political stamina and could be easily pushed off if he is making them uncomfortable, unlike Atiku or Kwankwaso who they can’t toy with anyhow.”
The source stated further that those thinking of consensus should perish such thought as they had resolved to see the primary through to a logical conclusion.
“If they beat us, fine, but we will not just chicken out because of the agenda of some people,” he added.
Another Buhari supporter reasoned: “Only Buhari will leave the party today and the party will shake. We will beg Kwankwaso because he is influential and his state is strategic. Let’s see how far Atiku can go.”
The party’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, refuted the allegation of bias in Buhari’s favour.
“For us as leaders, we are committed to providing a level playing field and that is why the national leadership told us that it was either we attend the declaration of all the presidential aspirants or none.
“The rule is that if you attend one, then be ready to attend all so that our appearance at a certain declaration would not be read as endorsement of a particular aspirant. But to show all the aspirants that we approve of them, we designated the national secretary to represent the party leadership in all the declarations,” Mohammed said.
The issue of the geopolitical zone to produce the vice presidential candidate is said to still be unresolved, despite the initial understanding that South-West would have it, with permutations throwing up the likes of a former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
A source revealed that the party leaders are gradually buying the South-South argument and unless the number two ticket is given to it as a replacement for its own, President Goodluck Jonathan, expected to be sacked as number one, there would be nothing to pacify the zone to vote APC.
Amaechi is also reportedly seen as a more committed member of the party than his Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, whose politics is said not to be trusted by party leadership.
His controversial entry into and withdrawal from the presidential race reportedly further gave vent to the issue of trust around him.
Beyond the South-South narrative, the sudden rebound of PDP in the South-West was said to have weakened the zone’s initial unchallenged claim to APC’s vice presidential slot.
The party, on Friday, fixed 29 October for a special convention where amendments to the party’s constitution on those that will be eligible as delegates to the presidential primaries will be ratified.
Alhaji Mohammed told Saturday Tribune that until the amendment was ratified, it would be difficult to say the exact number of delegates to the said primaries, how the delegates would emerge and those that would be qualified to be.
“INEC said indirect primary must be clearly stated in our constitution if that is what we are adopting. That is what we are adopting and we have to include it in our constitution.
“INEC also said that the primaries must hold under one roof. We will consider the largest venue we can get and see how many delegates it can contain. Until we amend our constitution, nothing can be specific,” he said.
Source: Tribune
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