THE 17-member committee set up by the Northern aspirants to fine-tune the consensus option, last week completed its assignment, but sources said that the members needed to water the ground before announcing the winner.

One of the steps being taken to soften the ground, according to sources, is the announcement of a power sharing formula among the aspirants.

But voices of dissent immediately crept into the works, following the feeling that the duo of General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar were dropped.

Sources said in Abuja, on Monday, that prominent traditional rulers in the North were being reached by the Alhaji Adamu Ciroma-led G-15 to ensure that something was salvaged from the consensus option.

The option is aimed at ensuring that the North fields only one aspirant against President Goodluck Jonathan during the primaries.

According to the power sharing formula, the aspirant that comes second in the rating would nominate the vice-presidential candidate; the aspirant that comes third would nominate the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), while the aspirant rated fourth would nominate the Senate President.
The voices of dissent were said to have come from the camps of Atiku and Babangida. It was learnt that some influential leaders were busy sending emissaries to the duo to ensure the workability of the consensus arrangement.

Some loyalists of former Vice-President Abubakar were, however, said to have insisted that the former vice-president remained the most democratically experienced aspirant from the North for now and that he should be fielded as the consensus candidate. Babangida’s loyalists were said to have also insisted that the process remained transparent and that the former military ruler had the largest network of supporters among all the aspirants.

If the arrangement works according to plan, the committee is expected to present the winner to all top emirs in the North to garner support among the people.

But a source said that there was still a long way to go, following suspicions in IBB and Atiku’s camps that the facts relied on to knock them out were not strong enough.

It was learnt at the weekend that General Aliyu Gusau won the slot in the reckoning of the committee, because he is the candidate with little or no political blemish among the contenders, though some say he has limited political experience compared to Atiku, Babangida and Kwara State governor, Dr Bukola Saraki.

The consensus committee was said to have recommended Gusau based on the need to walk away from the perceived political liabilities of Babangida, Atiku and even Saraki. One of the perceived liabilities of Saraki was said to be his language barrier and the fact that he is yet to build a formidable political structure across the North.

Sources close to the committee said, on Sunday, that efforts were on to ensure that the fences were mended before the final announcement.

“What is being done now is to buy time and ensure that nerves are calmed before the announcement. I can assure you that the consensus option is on course,” a source said.

Meanwhile, the campaign organisations of the four northern aspirants, on Sunday, debunked a media report claiming that their decision to present a consensus candidate that would square it up with President Goodluck Jonathan for the presidential ticket of the PDP had deadlocked, saying the purpose of the report was to “deceive the Nigerian people and create disharmony among the various campaign organisations.”

The organisations said the resolve of the four presidential aspirants to present a consensus candidate was still on course, adding that “we are amused by the spate of sponsored news stories and write-ups insinuating that the decision of Babangida, Atiku, Gusau and Saraki to adopt a consensus presidential candidate for the purposes of the forthcoming PDP presidential primaries is deadlocked.”

In a press statement signed by Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Senator Ben Obi, Udenta Udenta and Chris Mammah for the Babangida, Gusau, Saraki and Abubakar campaign organisations respectively and made available to the Nigerian Tribune, the organisations said the presidential candidates were “irrevocably and irreversibly committed to the process that will throw up a single presidential candidate,” noting that each of them had been briefed on the progress made by the committee.

The organisations described the idea of a consensus candidate as a necessary means to “reinforce the key ingredients of our national unity and stability, democratic governance and the right of our citizens to freely express their preferred choice.”

The statement urged Nigerians to disregard the report, adding that the committee would make known its decision on consensus candidate soon.

In another development, Babangida, on Sunday, promised to support any candidate from the North who emerges through consensus.

But he cautioned that the aspirants from the North should not be seen as candidates of the North, but as national aspirants.
In a brief interview with airport correspondents at the presidential lounge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Babangida said the position of the North on zoning had been misconstrued.

When asked if he would defect to another party if he did not emerge as PDP presidential candidate, said“there has always been a misconception and I hope I will use this opportunity to correct it.”

Babangida, who said he was not distracted by the negative political talks about him, while speaking on his strategies to emerge as the PDP standard-bearer, said he would go through all the processes, even as he expressed hope that people would be given the chance to make their choice during the election.

dappssee:

According to the power sharing formula, the aspirant that comes second in the rating would nominate the vice-presidential candidate; the aspirant that comes third would nominate the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), while the aspirant rated fourth would nominate the Senate President.

Imagine. These guys.

BTW here's the link

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/12241-north-moves-to-salvage-consensus-option-elders-committee-report-ready-proposes-sharing-formula-were-committed-to-consensus-ibb-atiku-saraki-gusau

dappssee:

Imagine. These guys.

BTW here's the link

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/12241-north-moves-to-salvage-consensus-option-elders-committee-report-ready-proposes-sharing-formula-were-committed-to-consensus-ibb-atiku-saraki-gusau

These men are running naija like their poultry farm. Very Unimaginable after 50yrs of independa!

Too sad. Look at them sharing the rights to offices like the rest of us must be idiots

Thats where they miss their road to Aso Rock,never will any of them smell Aso Rock.

Thats what the Norths are known for, they already know who they want to be in a particular office at any point in time.

Thats why they are ruling! they plan ahead and are united!

The ridiculous thing about this power sharing formula is that it assumes that PDP will control the Senate in the Next dispensation, How did they know this even before elections?
The last time I checked Senate Presidents are elected and that election involves lawmakers from the South. Hence for their prefered Senate President to be chosen they must be planning some kind of lobbying, bribery, quid pro quo.

Please are all of these not criminal under our electoral laws? It is amazing that they are even saying these things openly.

Its Ciroma and his cohorts. I think that man makes more sense when he's not saying anything

Inasmuch as I utterly despise these men, there is nothing in them sharing the seats if they win, it is now left to Nigerians to make sure that they do not win. A serious aspirant should have all his angles covered and he should have an idea of who he wants in certain posts, political horse trading is standard.

dappssee:

According to the power sharing formula, the aspirant that comes second in the rating would nominate the vice-presidential candidate; the aspirant that comes third would nominate the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), while the aspirant rated fourth would nominate the Senate President.

Somebody should please tell Ciroma this is 2010. Gone are the days when one man in Sokoto or Zaria decides who becomes who in Nigeria politics.

See the Bolded parts
Saying this would nominate SGF,senate president

seems like they are VERY confident of winning

IBB would be the consensus candidate
just wait and see