CPC, ACN may sign deal Friday .
Thursday, 20 January 2011 00:00 Lawal Ibrahim, Katsina & Abbas Jimoh    .59

General Muhammadu Buhari


The Congress for Progressive Change [CPC] and the Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] have concluded arrangements to sign a memorandum of understating [MOU] in Abuja tomorrow which is meant to field a joint presidential candidate in the general election of April.


Daily Trust learnt from high level sources on both sides that almost all the tricky details in talks which started some few months back have been resolved and the final meeting for the alliance is going be held in Abuja tomorrow where both parties will officially sign a working agreement towards the election. At tomorrow’s meeting, both parties will present their final submissions after which the pact will be signed, the sources said.


Earlier reports indicated that the alliance has already agreed to support the presidential candidate of the CPC General Muhammadu Buhari on the joint presidential ticket while the ACN provides the running mate. A source confirmed that some areas of friction had earlier stalled the process but were mutually resolved during the last meeting. He said it was now unanimously agreed that Muhammadu Buhari will become the presidential flag bearer, though under his CPC but with a joint mandate.

Though former Lagos State governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu has initially been touted as the possible running mate, Daily Trust learnt that certain political intrigues and calculations came to the fore, and it is unclear whether he has backed out or not.

However, a source said the names of former governor of Anambra State Dr. Chris Ngige, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as well as that of Pastor Tunde Bakare were being pushed by some strong interest groups.

Daily Trust learnt that some religious groups met with General Buhari in Kaduna on Monday over the candidature of Pastor Bakare.

A source close to former Lagos State governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu who has been leading the ACN side in the talks said he [Tinubu] is in support of the pact with the CPC and, in fact, encouraging the consummation of the deal.

Daily Trust learnt that tomorrow’s meeting is the fallout of the last meeting of leaders of the two sides held in Lagos on January 11, 2011 where critical issues related to the agreement were sorted out.

He confirmed that the two had come to the realisation that they needed each other to win the presidential election, especially against the current state of the ruling party, which is sharply divided by the zoning arrangement of the party.

The source revealed that alliance talks were earlier put on hold due to the rush by all parties to conclude their primaries in order to meet with INEC deadlines and also resolve various crises that emanated in both parties during the primaries.

The ACN has already fielded former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] Malam Nuhu Ribadu after advising former governor of Sokoto State Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and another aspirant to step aside. Sources said the ACN leadership did that based on fears that Bafarawa may not agree to step down after the talks with CPC. But the leaders were said to be confident that Ribadu shares a similar ideological disposition with Buhari and could agree in the circumstance to withdraw. Political parties have up to the end of this month to submit their candidates to INEC.

Akanbi_edu:

Good news at last. I can't wait for the PDP to get the fvck out of power.

Under this arrangement, I am sure Nigerians will forget sectional interests before the end of four years. then we can really talk about building Nigeria.

Nigeria no go spoil

ndu_chucks:

To put the icing on the cake, this coalition must bring APGA and possibly ANPP into the fold. If CPC, ACN, APGA, and ANPP field only one candidate, I'm confident that PDP will be defeated. sai one Nijeria

johndoe200:

If only elections in Nigeria were won on the internet and on the pages of newspapers, I am sure that you all would be rejoicing in May.

Sadly on the ground WE ARE THERE!!!. No fancy articles, no long pointless debates. Just good old fashion performance and connection with the people.

Buhari will win in the south? I DEY LAUGH.

Come 2015, the same people will be singing the same song - This time we will do it.

GEJ is the man of the moment and nothing is going to stop it.

Sadly on the ground WE ARE THERE!!!. No fancy articles, no long pointless debates. Just good old fashion performance and connection with the people.

careytommy:

@ Johndoe, help me tell dem.
@ all, conduct a personal poll (of about 20 people) on their prefered presidential candidate btw GEJ and Buhari and bring the result back to this thread so we can know and pls tell us the area you conducted it

Jarus:

If you conduct it in any state in NW, I'm sure you will have 19-1 at least in favour of Buhari. Talk of teh area you know only. You obviously dont know the raging sentiment in the core North.

na_so:

Make we dey watch na.

Buhari is more popular in NW and NE. NC is 50-50% infact GEJ has an edge here. But in the entire south , with or without ACN , GEJ is far ahead of buhari.

Besides , is the merger for presidential election alone? if not, how will ACN manage telling their voters to vote CPC for one election and ACN for another?
we still dey watch and laugh too .

apoti:

I hope this deal does not backfire on ACN in SW

Buhari is more popular in NW and NE. NC is 50-50% infact GEJ has an edge here. But in the entire south , with or without ACN , GEJ is far ahead of buhari.  

Jarus:


That may be true for candidate Buhari, but if AC/CPC come together and AC work for Buhari in the SW, this, to me, will be the permutation:

ACN/CPC(Buhari) PDP(GEJ) Others Note
NW 80 10 10 10 in others likely to come ANPP thru Yerima & Shekarau factors in Kano&Zamfara
NE 65 30 5 Votes for parties other than these two will be very neglgible here, but Modu Sheriff factor may help ANPP garner few
NC 40 60 - Plateau, Benue, are easily PDP's, but AC is expected to put strong showing in Kwara, plus anti-GEJ votes in Niger
SW 60 35 5 If Tinubu, Aregbesola and co put their weight behind ACN/CPC, they can swing almost SW AC states to ACN/CPC
SE 5 80 15 The 15% here may come from APGA. If APGA doesn't filed presidential candidate, whoever they support can claim that 15
SS 5 90 5 This is GEJ's strongest zone, but if Oshiomole works for his party, AC/CPC may curry Edo

na_so:

Make we dey watch na.

Buhari is more popular in NW and NE. NC is 50-50% infact GEJ has an edge here. But in the entire south , with or without ACN , GEJ is far ahead of buhari.

Besides , is the merger for presidential election alone? if not, how will ACN manage telling their voters to vote CPC for one election and ACN for another?

we still dey watch and laugh too .

Kalu Akanu:

I agree with some of the previous comments. APGA must be brought into the fold as well in order to defeat PDP. Even though I really like GEJ.

Presidential poll: ACN, APGA may field Ribadu   By Niyi Odebode and Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja    
Saturday, 23 Oct 2010  


The All Progressives Grand and the Action Congress of Nigeria have commenced talks aimed at mobilising progressives to support the presidential ambition of the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the two parties were favourably disposed to fielding Ribadu as their presidential candidate in 2011.
It was learnt that a new group, the Patriotic Electoral Alliance of Nigeria, consisting of 46 political parties, had set up a committee that would produce the criteria for picking a joint presidential candidate.

Kalu Akanu:

I agree with some of the previous comments. APGA must be brought into the fold as well in order to defeat PDP. Even though I really like GEJ.

manuch:

.Each P.D.P governor  has to deliver his state so forget  all these permutations . GEJ don win .

oyb:

yay!

and you wonder why we call team gej zombies

akala must have given this one a taxi cab

ndu_chucks:

To put the icing on the cake, this coalition [b]must bring APGA and possibly ANPP into the fold. [/b] If CPC, ACN, APGA, and ANPP field only one candidate, I'm confident that PDP will be defeated. sai one Nijeria