The outcome of the Ekiti Gubernatorial election was a shocker to many in the All
Progressives Congress, APC. However, only few could have predicted how that
election result was going to affect the party’s thinking on its presidential platform By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor NEW permutations for the 2015 presidential ticket of the opposition All Progressives
Congress, APC have emerged following the defeat of the party in the Ekiti
gubernatorial election last month. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the outgoing governor of
the state who was defeated in that election, had according to party insiders, been
in pole position to be projected as the party’s vice-presidential running mate in
the 2015 election. Fayemi was expected by many to run as the APC presidential running mate as
the sitting governor of Ekiti State next year.
Fayemi’s prospects had brightened following serious objections to party leader,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu taking that slot on account of religious balancing.
Tinubu is a Muslim and suggestions of him pairing with any of the leading
Muslim aspirants in the North, especially Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, had been a major issue of contention. Major issue of contention
Though there were insinuations that Tinubu did not mind, many party enthusiasts
bothered by inscriptions of the party as an Islamic party fought against such a
pair of Buhari and Tinubu as formidable as it looked.
With religion putting Tinbubu aside, Fayemi before the election became one of
those non-Muslims that had been factored as possible running mate to any of the leading presidential aspirants in the party. The
Ekiti governor, according to sources, had been especially touted to run with Governor
Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State.
The increasingly powerful lobby of APC governors where Fayemi is believed to
have a strong sway, and which was instrumental to many recent decisions of the
party, Vanguard learnt, would have been used by the governors to project the
Kwankwanso-Fayemi ticket. Besides Fayemi, another prospective running mate had been Otunba Niyi
Adebayo, former governor of Ekiti State. However, the defeat of Fayemi,
Vanguard learnt, has led to a diminution of either options in a presidential ticket
throwing up fresh permutations that have led to the emergence of new options.
One of the increasingly toasted options is Senator Olurunimbe Mamora, former
minority leader of the Senate. Other permutations said to be especially favoured in the calculation of the Tinubu
camp are Yemi Cardoso, a former commissioner for economic planning in Lagos,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo also a former commissioner for justice in Lagos State and
Senator Ajayi Borofice, presently representing Ondo State in the Senate. Mamora’s emergence follows the illegibility of Governor Babatunde Fashola, also
on religious consideration. The popular Lagos State governor is a Muslim.
Mamora, it was learnt, is especially being linked to the APC’s leading
presidential aspirant Buhari by some party stakeholders who are drumming such
a ticket as a win-win ticket. The former senator is being projected for his loyalty,
integrity and popularity as factors that would sell the ticket in the Southwest and the rest of the country. “He’s a Christian, popular and acceptable to Christian and Muslim communities,”
a source canvassing the ticket revealed at the weekend.
Continuing, the source said of Mamora, “He is a highly respected liberal
democrat and a professional; former Lagos Speaker, two-term Senator and well
loved across party and religious lines. He can easily reach out to the National
Assembly for President Buhari. “ Noting similarities between Mamora and Buhari, the source said:
“He’s highly principled and also has disdain for corruption like Buhari and he will
be acceptable to the Afenifere/Oodua Groups which will enable Buhari win not
less than 80% of Yoruba votes.” But a source close to Tinubu played down the Mamora option saying that
Mamora was dropped from going back to the Senate in 2011 on account of his
perceived disloyalty to Tinubu in the internal conflict between the Tinubu and
Fashola camps ahead of that year’s gubernatorial election. Mamora was said to have
sided with Fashola and
thereby incurred the wrath
of Tinubu leading to his
being replaced with Senator
Gbenga Ashafa in the 2011 election.
Cardoso who served in the
Tinubu cabinet it was
learnt, is also being
seriously canvassed on the
basis of his economic expertise and projected as
one who could help a
possible President Buhari
to manage the economic
affairs of the country. The projection of Senator
Borofice it was gathered is
aimed at cutting from the
votes of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP in Ondo State.
The idea behind Borofice is that he could draw out votes for APC being that he is from Ondo State, a state that is now under the control of Labour Party and which
had in the past thrown support for President Goodluck Jonathan. “The calculation behind Borofice is that he is from a state that is not within the
control of the APC, so by projecting him as a vice-president, he could draw votes
that would ordinarily have been mobilised by the governor for the PDP,” a source
privy to the permutations told Vanguard.
Such projections, however, are out of joint with other available factors in the
contest. Emergence of Sam Nda-Isaiah
The emergence of Sam Nda-Isaiah as one of the aspirants has also opened
possibilities of a Muslim from any of the Southwest States emerging as a
running mate. However, given the present lukewarm attitude of many party
stakeholders in the region to the prospects of the newspaper columnist and
publisher, not much thought has been made of the personalities that could fit the mould for a running mate for a Northern Christian presidential candidate. Another permutation that some believe could electrify the party is the
presentation of Adams Oshiomhole as a running mate or possibly a presidential
candidate. Oshiomhole who has acquitted himself fairly in Edo State and won
commendations for his infrastructural developments is considered as a possible
weapon of mass destruction if put on the presidential ticket and could especially
impede the PDP in its South-South base. In the past, a matchup between Oshiomhole and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal had
been projected as a serious challenge that for the PDP.
However, given the relative independent mindedness of the Edo governor, not
many in the APC hierarchy seem to be giving much consideration to lifting him
up. Match-ups Presidential candidate Running Mate Buhari Mamora
Buhari Cardoso
Buhari Osinbajo
Buhari Borofice
Tambuwal Oshiomhole
Oshiomhole Tambuwal Kwankwanso

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