Buhari, Kwankwaso intensify lobby
Despite the pervading lull occasioned by
the Ramadan season, frontline presidential
contenders in the All Progressives Congress
(APC) are leaving nothing to chance in their
bid to get the nod of the party to fly the
party’s flag in next year’s elections.
With eyes on the forthcoming national
convention of the party, former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar, who only joined
the party six months ago has made
tremendous inroads through benchmarking
his wide network of contacts within and
outside the party. Also high on the beat is
former military Head of State and three-
time presidential runner, Gen Mohammadu
Buhari (retd) and Kano State Governor,
Rabiu Kwankwaso.
While Buhari has already opened campaign
offices in about 22 states evenly spread in
the six geo-political zones, Kwankwaso has
stepped up his consultative base, reaching
out to influential power brokers within and
outside the party. His consultations so far
have been limited to the North where,
Sunday Sun learnt, he plans to make his
initial stronghold, through “endearing the
APC and his person to the people.” As part
of his strategic manoeuvre, he recently
floated a survey poll to ascertain his
popularity and chances of clinching the
party ticket, against interested and tested
heavyweights like Atiku and Buhari.
While his relentless attacks on President
Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) may have shored
up his popularity in the party, he is said to
be constrained by peer rivalry and limited
geo-political vision.
Most of the power players from the South,
who would ordinarily have teamed up with
him, are gradually withdrawing since the
entry of Atiku into the race, and have
indeed counseled on a mellowed anti-south
sentiments in order to have a hitch-free
victory.
“His views on North-South issues are too
strong for a man who wants to be
presidential candidate of a national party.
He needs to moderate these views and
carry everyone along” Sunday Sun was
told.
Some of his arch-supporters who have
apparently taken a reticent lukewarmness
to his ambition include Rivers State
Governor Chibuike Amaechi, and former
Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki.
In fact Amaechi, who initially was
positioned as his running mate has since
re-aligned and has had extensive
discussions with Atiku.
Buhari’s presidential ambition in the party
has never waned. The ex-military General
has nurtured and dressed-up a close
rapport and association with the power
base of the party, fuelling speculations that
the ticket is his, just for the asking.
The burgeoning relationship with a leader of
the party, and former Lagos governor Bola
Ahmed Tinubu has been the source of
multiple frictions in the party and in­
nuendoes of a Muslim/Muslim ticket plot.
The lid to the plot blew open during and
after the recent first national convention of
the party. It has led to mass-disaffection
with notable party stalwarts like former
Borno State governor Alli Modu Sheriff, and
ex-minister Femi Fani-Kayode defecting to
the PDP.
Suspicions of a pact between Buhari and
Tinubu which paved the way for a rancour-
free constitution of the National Executive
of the party and zoning of elective offices
have also elevated Buhari’s ambition while
thwarting the interests of prospects. “He
did not raise his finger against Tinubu’s
imposition of officers. The duo also
conspired to zone offices including elective
ones to the zones that will match their
interest. The fact that Buhari began opening
offices and doing subtle campaign when
others were yet to recover from the ripples
of the convention is another pointer to their
well-heeled plot,” Sunday Sun was told.
Reacting to the development, spokesman of
Atiku, Mallam Garba Shehu, while not
denying emphatically that the Turakin
Adamawa has opened offices and intensified
consultations said, “Turakin has never left
politics. There are always politicians around
him. I don’t know if that is what people are
referring to as consultations. On the issue
of campaign offices, we only have an APC
support office in Yola. I am not aware that
there are other offices in other states.”
He described the campaign posters, pairing
Atiku with Amaechi, which have adorned
some major streets in Abuja, Yola and Port-
Harcourt as the handiwork of “mischievous
people”. You know, sometimes people do
some of these things to achieve certain
selfish ends. If posters are to be printed,
my office will see to it, and as I am talking
to you now, we have not printed any.”
Shehu also explained Atiku’s role in the
zoning of elective offices and emergence of
national officers of the party at the last
convention.
The former vice-president allegedly
refrained from interfering with the methods
that propped up the zoning and substantive
national officers and has since remained
indifferent despite rife speculations about
his frontline presidential aspiration status.
“My principal allowed the fowls to have
their pick, and they did. No one is rattled.
Turakin is a firm believer in democracy and
its ideals. The presidential ticket has been
zoned to the North. That is the battlefield,”
Shehu explained.
Calculations within the party are pointing
towards an upset. The general belief is that
of a likelihood of a Buhari/Tinubu
candidature, but there are also conjectures
that Atiku may cause an upset because of
the perception that he has what it takes to
give President Goodluck Jonathan and his
PDP a good run. Those who are inclined to
this, cite his political astuteness, and how
he snatched the Northern consensus ticket
ahead of acknowledged bigwigs including
General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), Buhari,
and General Aliyu Gusau (retd) in 2010.
Meanwhile, the three presidential aspirants
have been linked to some faceless motley
groups within the party drumming support
for their aspirations. One of the groups,
“National Support Initiative” in a statement
last week canvassed support for
Kwankwaso’s presidential ambition,
describing him “as a patriot and selfless
leader.”
The Turaki Vanguard similarly is in the
forefront of the former vice-president’s
ambition. The group, led by N’dua Wakado
earlier last month enunciated his sterling
qualities and pre-qualification for the
exalted seat. “He is detribalized, visionary,
courageous and an unrivalled
philanthropist. He deserves the ticket of the
party and the exalted seat of the president,”
the statement said.
On the issue of presidential running mate,
while Tinubu is believed to be in near-full
grasp of it, the outgoing Ekiti State
governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi is being
positioned as a fall back in case Tinubu’s
candidacy fails to pull through.
Fayemi’s name has dwarfed other fringe
contenders since the June 21 catastrophic
governorship elections in Ekiti State. Since
the position has been zoned to the South-
west generally presumed as the biggest
stronghold of the APC, other aspirants like
the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas
Okorocha, and ex-Abia State governor and
former national chairman of the defunct All
Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu,
may have re-adjusted their interests in line
with the party policy. There is a perceptible
freeze in their wide consultations across the
length and breadth of the country since the
last convention. Okorocha, who initially
wanted to fly the flag of the party,
necessitating his controversial defection
from the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA) later modified his ambition for a
vice- presidential slot. He had engaged in a
whirlwind campaign criss-crossing the
nation, meeting influential Emirs, colleague-
governors and other eminent leaders of
thought within and outside the party. He
had hoped to leverage on his position as
Chairman of the Progressive Governors
Forum. He had also in the pursuit of this
goal awarded monumental contracts
covering roads, and buildings to many
contractors of Northern extraction in his
state, turning Owerri into the mecca of
Northerners.
Amaechi, Sunday Sun learnt, still has an
outside chance of getting the ticket, owing
to his iconic doggedness, passion, courage
and enduring political wiles.
In fact he is perceived in APC circles as
having done more than any of his contem­
poraries in popularizing APC nationwide.

Exactly the way it was written, that's all!

Calling Fani Kayode, a nonentity, stalwart, renders the article useless and a classical gossip!

2015 thickens..... but honestly none stand a chance

What happens when they don't clinch the ticket?

#Just a thought

As part of his consultations, Kwankwaso is conducting a poll... In northern Nigeria... To test his CLUELESSNESS.

APC was destroyed by GEJ in JUNE/JULY 2014.

say no to terrorism
Say no to APC

gathering of terrorists

Confusion ahead

While Buhari and Kwankwaso remain the ugly face, Atiku on the other hand remains the friendly face of Boko haram's political wing the APC.

Atiku will win more votes than Buhari or Kwankwaso.

To long please.... Abeg summary.


Before any insalt (not mistake but intentional) I know am lazy

gen2briz: To long please.... Abeg summary.


Before any insalt (not mistake but intentional) I know am lazy

No body go Insalt you.

Atiku is the only one in APC that can be described as a Presidential material and may have a credible chance to defeat PDP.
One does not worry about APC any more with illiterate almajiri dogs such as kwankwaso even believing they can rule Nigeria through APC!

brownlords:

No body go Insalt you.

Thank you jare

Very soon we'll know the flag bearer.

Atiku and kwankwaso are joking, APC can never give a decampee from PDP their presidential slot. Those claiming Atiku or kwankwaso can pull d crowd are lying, none of them call pull d crowd APC needs like Buhari