2015: Buhari Buries Differences With IBB, Gusau
11.05.2013, 10:38 Local
The desire of northern leaders to stop President Goodluck
Jonathan from retaining his seat after the 2015 election has
received a boost with the acceptance of a former Head of
State, General Muhammadu Buhari, to bury his differences
with his then successor in office, General Ibrahim Badamasi
Babangida (IBB) and form a formidable alliance that will
give victory to the newly formed All Progressives Congress
(APC) at the next polls.
The relationship between Buhari and Babangida
has not been cordial since the latter overthrew
the regime of the former in a bloodless military
coup in 1983.
To achieve reconciliation with Babangida and other northern
leaders in his camp, like former National Security Adviser (NSA),
Gen. Mohammed Aliyu Gusau, Saturday Sun gathered that Buhari
has set up an eight-man high-powered committee "that will not
only work on smoothening the relationship between him (Buhari)
and a section of the northern elite but also seek their support for
his nomination as APC presidential candidate and at the election
proper."
Speaking at a public lecture in Minna, Niger State on Wednesday
last week, Gen. Buhari had expressed his preparedness to
contest the 2015 election and also his willingness to step down
for a better candidate that may emerge from APC. Many believed
that the former Head of State was referring to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is being
backed for the top job by a group of northern leaders led by Gen.
Babangida.
Buhari had declared: "Whoever thinks he has got a chance, let
him come out because the more we are, the merrier it becomes. I
will be ready to step down if there is a formidable and better
candidate. It is not about me but for the survival of the party.
APC is about ensuring internal democracy, whoever emerges is
the person I will support. Yes, I will be ready to step down,"
Buhari had declared in a veiled reference to the ambition of
Tambuwal to contest the next presidential election on the
platform of APC.
Investigations, however, revealed that Buhari's public declaration
notwithstanding, he has, of late, intensified efforts to reach out
to a number of northern leaders, who have, in the past, refused
to support his presidential ambition due to some personal and
ideological differences.
To make this possible, an eight-member committee had been set
up to drive the process. A member of the committee, who would
not want to be named because of the strategic nature of their
assignment, revealed: "As a result of the work already done so far
in this regard, a comfortable number of ACF (Arewa Consultative
Forum) leaders are now ready to back Buhari while the next
critical stage is to get the IBB camp to work on the same page
with us to see Buhari through the next contest."
When asked the details of how to get Babangida to support a
Buhari presidential campaign, the source said: "The contact
committee is working hard on bringing the two former heads of
state together so that some impressions can be cleared and
settled. This won't be difficult. Remember former Abia State
governor, Orji Kalu, had brought the two of them together
before. What we need now is to build on such past efforts by first
taking Buhari's message to IBB, Gusau and others."
Asked about the type of message Buhari is sending the contact
team to these northern leaders, the source said: "The message is
simple and not only for IBB but for some other Nigerians that
have a mindset about Gen. Buhari's candidacy. Nigerians need to
know that Buhari has come of age. Time has changed and as
such cannot be the dictatorial leader some people perceive him
to be. He wants the people to know that in this democratic
dispensation, he can't do some of the things he did under the
military decree, which some still count against him. He said the
wishes of the majority of CPC members that have been allowed to
prevail in the party's primary elections in Kano and Katsina
recently should prove to the people that he is a totally changed
person when it comes to allowing the wishes of the majority. He
also wants the people to know that he is not going to chase
anybody out of Nigeria as has been speculated in the past.
"Another message he has mandated us to take round, especially
to those we will be reaching out to in the South of the country, is
that he is not the religious bigot some people believe he is. He
said his choice of a radical Pentecostal pastor (Tunde Bakare) as
his running mate in the 2011 presidential election should be
enough to convince those that still doubt his stand on religious
tolerance."
The contact committee member argued that the interest of
Tambuwal in the APC presidential ticket is not much of a threat to
Buhari because the former Head of State "believes he has all it
takes to get the new party victory in the next election," adding:
"This is without prejudice to his public promise that he is ready
to make the needed sacrifice if there is any better candidate in
the party fold."
It was further gathered that after the last convention of the CPC
in Abuja today, activities of the contact committee will be
intensified and become a little visible, while Buhari's message of
reconciliation and new improved personality will be amplified at
the convention.
"Starting from the CPC's last convention in Abuja on Saturday
(today), we will start amplifying publicly some of these messages
we have been taking round to our leaders and our people on the
need to drop some of the old negative impressions about Buhari
so that the latest effort to close ranks and chase out the PDP in
2015 will achieve the desired impact," the source added.
When Saturday Sun contacted one of the national officers of the
ACF to confirm the claim of the committee, the forum's National
Vice Chairman, Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku, said he has only
been briefed about the Buhari's moves but yet to be personally
contacted.
According to him, "I have been in the US for some weeks now;
nobody has contacted me personally, but I can't deny that I am
aware that some of our leaders are working hard to close ranks,
bury their individual differences and collectively bring an end to
the PDP misrule in Nigeria. I must add that I personally
appreciate Buhari's humility in the latest effort and I say it's a
welcome development."
He added: "Whatever we can do in form of personal and
collective sacrifice is what we are ready to do as northern leaders
with the support of other compatriots across the country to end
the current impunity, insecurity and senseless looting of our
commonwealth going on in our nation."

http://m.naij.com/news/33812.html

Operation Ghana-must-go by fire by force

Gang up all you can, it will not wipe history, History tells me you have no business in leadership

Are you PORTING,PORTED or about to PORT?
All Individual differences should be buried,Loyalty questioned/evaluated, Future analysed and MASSIVELY, Nigerians should PORT from the DEVIL THEY HAVE KNOWN FOR 14years (PDP) to APC (The ANGEL they dont know yet)

As a nation we have nothing to lose, if APC fails (and Senate/HOR) fails to correct them as we witness now, then 2019 we PORT AGAIN to another alternative (Not PDP or APC)

Yorubas had AD------PDP-----ACN and definitely they have better stories in this Republic to tell.

mankevo: Are you PORTING,PORTED or about to PORT?
All Individual differences should be buried,Loyalty questioned/evaluated, Future analysed and MASSIVELY, Nigerians should PORT from the DEVIL THEY HAVE KNOWN FOR 14years (PDP) to APC (The ANGEL they dont know yet)

As a nation we have nothing to lose, if APC fails (and Senate/HOR) fails to correct them as we witness now, then 2019 we PORT AGAIN to another alternative (Not PDP or APC)

Yorubas had AD------PDP-----ACN/ LP/AP and definitely they have better stories in this Republic to tell.

Fixed.
That porting thing is so so good.
We in Ibadan have ported to all the parties in Nigeria, no governor has spent two terms since 1999
if we see that you are dormant and lack ideas we port you out sharp sharp, This present guys we ported to is doing fine sha...
Hope Lagosians too can port to feel the fresh breeze in porting.

^^^@ I-B
Kai! forgive me for leaving AP and LP (Gbasibe jooor) behind.
Am from east, but honestly Yoruba Politics is out of Nigerian context.So objective and unforgiving..
Praying seriously for a time my people will vote in that manner. I thought Ondo was sweetest till I found myself working in Ogun during 2011 election.

mankevo: ^^^@ I-B
Kai! forgive me for leaving AP and LP (Gbasibe jooor) behind.
Am from east, but honestly Yoruba Politics is out of Nigerian context. So objective and unforgiving..
Praying seriously for a time my people will vote in that manner. I thought Ondo was sweetest till I found myself working in Ogun during 2011 election.

Then i wonder how some people here think PDP can be forgiven in SW
I forgot, no Governor has also spent two complete terms in Osun