A crack emerged at the weekend between youth groups in the North over Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo’s ambition in 2015, even as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the North West zone denied discussing this during their meeting with him.

But the vice president has said in Abuja on Sunday that he has done nothing to suggest that his concentration has shifted to 2015 presidential bid, describing as mischievous, a newspaper publication stating that he has launched a campaign to succeed President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sambo was last week accorded a rousing welcome when he went to Kaduna to attend the Peoples Democratic Party North West zonal meeting.

Branded vehicles bearing his posters were driven around the city and venue of the meeting. But he said on Sunday that the branded vehicle bearing his posters were paraded by mischief makers with the aim of perpetuating falsehood.

Sambo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Umar Sani, reiterated his commitment to ensuring the success of Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

He said he had not mandated anyone to start a campaign for the 2015 elections, adding that the objectives of the meeting were explicitly stated in the communiqué without any suggestion to the effect that it was arranged to launch his presidential bid.

“It should be noted that the vice president is resolutely committed to the transformation agenda, assisting President Goodluck Jonathan to deliver on their campaign promises

“Therefore no amount of falsehood or mischief will distract the VP and make him succumb to such cheap blackmail. The communiqué of the meeting was very explicit on the purpose and outcome of the zonal meeting.

“It should be on record that the VP has not mandated any one to promote his course as Mr. President and Himself are working assiduously to deliver quality service to the people. We implore our fellow citizens to disregard the contents of such publications,” the statement added.

Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna, National Coordinator, Namadi Projects, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Musa Mubama, said it was wrong for any group to start campaigning for Sambo against 2015, since as a loyal party member, the vice president is 100 per cent loyal to President Goodluck Jonathan and believes in the dictates of the PDP.

He debunked rumours making the rounds that they were at the General Hassan Usman Katsina House on Saturday to meet with Sambo so that he vies for the number one seat in 2015, insisting that it was a mischievous attempt to set them on a collision course with either the “Vee Pee’s camp” or with other contenders in the region.

“My organisation, Namadi Project, was in existence since he became the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

“We were at the forefront when the vice president was a governor of Kaduna State. They all know us in propagating the ideals of Namadi administration then,” he said.

According to him, “what happened at the venue of the zonal meeting of the PDP was that youths were at the venue just to display their solidarity with the vice president as the son of the soil who was home. We are also supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Meanwhile, Sambo has, during the meeting, expressed confidence that the North West zone would soon be captured by the PDP.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: “Our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has recorded great milestone in these petitions where the tribunals ordered for re-elections having found irregularities, malpractices, manipulations and other negative vices perpetrated by our opponents to get a favourable outcome of such elections, even in areas that were adjudged not to be our strongholds or domain.

“The Senatorial as well as Representatives re-runs in Katsina State, as well as some parts of the country attest to this claims.

“We should muster enough strength to reclaim what rightly belongs to us by effectively sensitising our people on the need to vote for the party that will transform Nigeria through the provision of various infrastructural facilities such as power, water, roads, bridges and other streamlined programmes, such as good healthcare delivery system, Education for All and provision of the good things of life that our people earnestly so desire to improve our overall socio-economic status,” he said.

http://dailyindependentnigeria.com/2011/10/10/2015-sambos-ambition-divides-nwest-pdp/