BoT chairmanship: Tinubu,
Atiku renew rivalries


Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku and
National Leader of the All Progressives
Congress ( APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu are back
in the battlefield.

The two prominent APC chieftains are battling
for the Board of Trustees ( BoT ) chairmanship of
the ruling APC.
Tinubu, according to investigations, entered the
race after initially backing former interim
chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande. He
was said to have decided to offer himself to
neutralise the towering influence of some forces
within the party.


Atiku, on his part, had always been a frontline
candidate for the position. The post was
reportedly ceded to him before the National
Assembly leadership crisis.
Though advisory, the office of BoT
chairmanship is expected to wield enormous
influence in the party.
Many interest groups within the ruling party
believe that whoever controls the BoT will have
more than passing power in the hierarchy of the
APC.


The two old war-horses have always been at
daggers-drawn since 2007 when Tinubu
sponsored Atiku to emerge the presidential
candidate of the defunct Action Congress of
Nigeria ( ACN ).

Atiku lost the contest to the late President
Musa Yar’Adua but reportedly felt Tinubu did
not pull enough weight to back his candidature.
He returned to the PDP in 2009 despite several
obstacles before finding his way back to the
progressives fold in 2014.
Atiku’s main grouse, it was learnt, was how
Tinubu backed President Muhammadu Buhari
during the presidential primary of the APC in
Lagos.

His camp believed that the former Lagos
governor facilitated the choice of President
Buhari despite the massive injection of funds
into the project by the former vice president.
This, it was gathered, was why Atiku stayed
away from the presidential train during the
nationwide campaigns in the run-up to the
election.

When the National Assembly elections came
into view, Atiku opted to back Bukola Saraki as
Senate President to seize control of the second
arm of government. This underscored why
Saraki and his supporters went straight to the
Turaki of Adamawa’s Abuja residence after his
election for a courtesy visit.
The camp of the former Lagos governor felt
slighted while Atiku’s supporters were jubilant.
To counter Atiku’s influence, the Tinubu’s camp
decided the race for the BoT chairmanship
must be won at all costs.
A source close to the Jagbaban as he is fondly
called said the former senator has declared the
battle “as a fight to the finish.”
Both camps have been mobilising support and
canvassing reasons why their principals
deserve the slot.


The Atiku’s camp reasons that Tinubu
produced Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and
APC’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-
Oyegun.
They said he has been given enough.
Tinubu’s aides, on their part, said Atiku
produced Saraki as Senate President and
cannot be trusted because of his constant
switch of party allegiance.

They say the former Lagos governor should be
pacified with the post after his candidate for the
House of Representatives speakership, Hon.
Femi Gbajabimiala, lost to Yakubu Dogara.
It was learnt that President Buhari is more
disposed to a Tinubu’s chairmanship of the
BoT based on the support he garnered from the
South West.

The zoning formula also supports Tinubu as
the North had filled many leading posts in the
APC.
President Buhari (North West); Senate
President Saraki (North Central) as Senate
President and Speaker Dogara (North East) are
already holding leading posts in the sharing
formula.

This leaves the South with only Vice President
Osinbajo and Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun in
the scheme of things.
The ruling party is likely to constitute the board
any time from now, following the recent
ratification of the process by its National
Working Committee ( NWC ). With this, both
camps are perfecting their strategies to clinch
the prize.

Although chieftains of the party are said to be
more favorably disposed to the seat going one
way, the other party is not giving up easily in
the fight to emerge winner, and have more
control over the party in the race to 2019.


http://ripples.com.ng/bot-chairmanship-tinubu-atiku-renew-rivalries/

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Following

Tinubu should leave atiku to take that post, so as not to tarnish his left-over pride. Playing with the north is like playing with an "hungry lion"

These guys...

must APC fight for every position. broken home .

PMP should, honestly, answer the following questions to make a decision?

Who will benefit more between Tinubu and Atiku if his Government failed?

From his experience with these two whose words are more reliable?

Which of them makes him feel more comfortable when they are alone?

Which of them appears to look up to PMP for direction?

In my observation Atiku's unstable antecedents, his body language on days leading to and eve of Presidential election, his involvement in emergence of Saraki and his continual support against Buhari-prefered choice should naturally rule him out.

Atiku is more of a PDP kind. Allowing him a Chair on the high table with Buhari will swell the number of traitors in core APC fold.

Buhari should quit believing everyone loves him or his style. His style is a big treat to the Atikus, Sarakis and their likes.

I dont like Tinubu but I admire his tenacity and loyalty to Buhari-Led-APC success .

If deciding among the two will give PMP problem he should personally select a neutral person and see who will remain loyal afterwards.

Tinubu will lose again

coolestrogue:
Tinubu should leave atiku to take that post, so as not to tarnish his left-over pride. Playing with the north is like playing with an "hungry lion"

The greatest wish of the PDP is that Atiku clinch the BOT chair position.so,people will see APC as a new PDP.Tinubu,is the greatest enemy of PDP in the country. It is the greatest face of anything non-PDP in the country.

PROVACATEUR:
Tinubu will lose again

.....you are either PDP,IGBO or member of bode George,Ebenezer babatope and kashamu family in southwest.The day your type like Tinubu it means he is failing.