Sambo, Mark begin presidential race
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AYODELE OJO AND AZA MSUE 18/10/2011 00:03:00
image Vice President Namadi Sambo

. Atiku, Yuguda, Aliyu too . ACN consults with Shekarau

Less than four years to the 2015 presidential election, prominent public office holders from the North have begun discreet and intensive campaign to be the presidential flagbearers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Sources told National Mirror that top on the list of the presidential hopefuls from the North, who have indicated interest are Vice- President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, Governors Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) and Babangida Muazu Aliyu (Niger).

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is also poised to try his luck for the 2015 presidency. An aide of Abubakar told National Mirror yesterday that he had not called it quits in politics and “will definitely throw his hat into the presidential race in 2015.” The source said the former vice-president was already consulting his political associates and reviving his political structure for the 2015 election. Also, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has opened discussion with former governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, as possible candidate of the party. Shekarau was the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the April 9 poll.

National Mirror learnt that Shekarau was billed to meet with the leadership of ACN in Lagos this week, preparatory to the 2015 presidency. It is unclear if the former governor will defect to ACN to realise his presidential ambition. As part of efforts to realise their ambitions, Sambo, Mark, Yuguda and Aliyu have reportedly been lobbying and mobilising stakeholders, traditional rulers, pressure groups and the political class for their presidential project. Already, National Mirror learnt that some of the presidential aspirants had been funding their proxies for the national chairmanship of the PDP. “For you to succeed as a presidential candidate, you must have the support of your party and its leadership. This is why no presidential aspirant can stand aloof in who becomes the national chairman of the party.

“Yuguda is sponsoring a candidate for the position, while the rest are doing same or backing a candidate,” an aide of a serving governor told National Mirror. Although Sambo has denied having interest in the plum job, our correspondent gathered that the vice president was “putting necessary machinery in place to ensure that his dream of becoming the next president of Nigeria is achievable.” A source close to the vice-president told our correspondents that Sambo was “consulting widely on his presidential ambition and he is already reaching out to powerful interest groups in the North, within the PDP and across the length and breadth of Nigeria.”

The source added that the vice-president only beat a retreat because “his ambition is coming too early and may cause disaffection between him and President Goodluck Jonathan. “Don’t forget that the root cause of disagreement between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Abubakar was presidential ambition. So, Sambo needs to thread softly, but I can tell you that he is very much in the race. He just wants to earn the confidence of his principal, Jonathan.” National Mirror also learnt that Mark had also shown keen interest in the Presidency. As part of strategies to realise his ambition, Mark is already currying the favour of the Muslim community in the North.

The Senate President was said to have sponsored some Northern Muslims on this year’s hajj. “Unlike before, Senator Mark gave a number of Muslims hajj seats for this year pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. This is what he has not been doing,” a source said. Yuguda has reportedly been discussing his presidential ambition with his colleagues – the governors. The Bauchi State governor was said to have visited the chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi for consultation on his ambition on the platform of the PDP. He was also said to have consulted Governors Theodore Orji (Abia) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) where he donated N10m for Ibadan flood victims. “Yuguda has his eyes on the presidency and he is putting structure in place to achieve this.

There is no hiding the fact that he is contesting the presidency,” a source said. The Niger State Governor Aliyu is also banking on his position as the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum to realise his presidential ambition. “Definitely, Governor Aliyu will throw his hat into the presidential ring. He is consulting and the outcome of his consultations will determine his next line of action. But he is contesting the presidency,” one of his aides who did not want his name mentioned told National Mirror yesterday. Despite Sambo’s denial of nursing presidential ambition in 2015, one of his groups, Namadi Sambo Victory Foundation, has begun consultations with prominent politicians in Kaduna, preparing ground for his candidature. Also, a Southern Kaduna group, Southern Kaduna Dialogue Forum, has tipped Mark for the nation’s number one job.

Prior to North-West zonal PDP executive meeting in Kaduna two weeks ago, a strong political ally and a relation of the vice-president who was in the forefront of his 2007 governorship victory, Alhaji Ahmed Inuwa, had embarked on the distribution of food items, soft loans and other essential materials to various communities in the North as one of the strategies to woo youths who had ensured that Sambo lost out in his Camp Road polling unit during the April 2011 elections. Inuwa is the Chairman of the Namadi Sambo Victory Foundation. The foundation also plans to extend its activities to the South- West and other regions in the country. Already, National Mirror learnt that coordinators in the various zones would soon reach their people with materials, cash and other largesse from the foundation.

Recently, Inuwa, it was learnt, met with some people at the Women Multipurpose Centre in Kaduna where he said that the foundation was making impact currently in the North. He had said: “In the North, for instance, various communities in Kaduna and Kano have benefited immensely from the foundation and before the end of 2011, we hope to cover all states in the North. The foundation also assists taxi drivers, Okada riders and those in similar businesses. “The chairman has empowered many people by giving them Volkswagen Golf cars in addition to thousands who got motorcycles to boost their commercial businesses.”

National Mirror noted that the Namadi Project displayed its branded vehicles and distributed pamphlets at the recent North-West PDP meeting canvassing support for the vice-president ahead of 2015. It was also gathered that the groups working to promote the vice-president’s interest had resisted move to compel them to shelve their nationwide consultations, A member of the Namadi Project, who did not want his name in print, vowed that their activities would go on despite the ban. “This is where we eat; how can Oga came out to deny us? I graduated 10 years ago and have no work. This is where I found myself, nothing will stop us, there is no going back,” he said.


http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/23057.html

No credible aspirants yet.

I can only laugh at the nature of opposition.

Are these the people that will compete with the Chime, Rochas, Amechi, and may perhaps fashola of these world?
North has lost the race even before it is started. PDP will not help them this time around.

Any of these candidate as presidential aspirant will in, Desola's (?) words mean death to PDP?

I laugh in North Haram!

Are these the people that will compete with the Chime, Rochas, Amechi, and may perhaps fashola of these world?
North has lost the race even before it is started. PDP will not help them this time around.

Those people have a chance, if ACN is going for Shekarau who spent N10 bILLION OF Kano State money as down payments for hotels in and around Kano City. Shekarau is not a credible material. I would urge all the Progressives, Fashola, Chime, Rochas, Duke fall in line behind Buhari and we would have a very strong oppostition. Moreover Rochas should give his state atleast 8 years of progress, the others have all done or are doing their second term.

Mark is the strongest candidate.

Let's mark this Mark. He is going somewhere and I support him!

KnowAll:




Those people have a chance, if ACN is going for Shekarau who spent N10 bILLION OF Kano State money as down payments for hotels in and around Kano City. Shekarau is not a credible material. I would urge all the Progressives, Fashola, Chime, Rochas, Duke fall in line behind Buhari and we would have a very strong oppostition. Moreover Rochas should give his state atleast 8 years of progress, the others have all done or are doing their second term.

Stop that nonsense my friend! How can you ask these intellectuals, and proven technocrats to fall behind Buhari! What kind of rubbish talk is that? The bigotic murderer and ex-dictator Buhari should be rotting jail! He can never ever rule this country, nor can he be a king maker!

By the way, being a governor, and ex-military dictator is not, and should never be the criteria for electing a president, let alone serving a term or two!

KnowAll:

Those people have a chance, if ACN is going for Shekarau who spent N10 bILLION OF Kano State money as down payments for hotels in and around Kano City. Shekarau is not a credible material. I would urge all the [size=14pt]Progressives[/size], Fashola, Chime, Rochas, Duke fall in line behind Buhari and we would have a very strong oppostition. Moreover Rochas should give his state atleast 8 years of progress, the others have all done or are doing their second term.

"Progressives!!!" Lol!
Even the charlatans, ACN have stopped calling themselves that and resorted to summoning evil spirits. Aside from Chime and Rochas, they are just wicked thieves that will steal a babies milk.
Fashola is too much of a cowardly little girl to deal with Tinubu, talkless of the Godless monsters, demons and vampire armies that operate at FG level.

Jokers on the prowl!

Ibo presidency for 2015 ! Nothing more nothing less

~Bluetooth:

Ibo presidency for 2015 ! Nothing more nothing less

That is an Illusion man!!! You guys are not ready!

If Obasanjo is still alive by 2014/2015, Mark will fly PDP's flag! There will be a palley with the SouthEast to support Mark so they can take their turn after him.

I wonder who is deceiving Isa Yuguda and Babangida Aliyu. They don't stand a chance with Mark and Sambo in the race.

X-factoria:

That is an Illusion man!!! You guys are not ready!

If Obasanjo is still alive by 2014/2015, Mark will fly PDP's flag! There will be a palley with the SouthEast to support Mark so they can take their turn after him.

What is wrong with ibo presidency ? Are we not entitle to the post too after the long marginalization ?

The igbos shld nt and must nt sipoort david mark. God will nt allow him to rule 9ja. Hems anti pll. have you forgotten his remark that gsm is nt meant for the poor? what about his drbblings in the senate?or is it d way he's amendidng d constitution to suit his party? wake up guys.mark is a bad wind that will blow no good.unless you guys want this rot to continue.david mark president?then Bank-ole will be his vice.wake up guys.this guy led bank-ole into the mess he's in. where in our constitution is doctrine of necessity? why didn't he just declare jo president then instead of d uncostitutional doctrine? If Gani is alive today,i bet he would have challenged that doctrine. DAVID MARK IS NT A GOOD PRODUCT.

Politics of distraction, GEJ should please stay focussed.