Ahead of 2011: Buhari, Atiku, Bafarawa sign pact
Headlines Oct 25, 2009

* To give unconditional support to party’s candidate
* Zone presidential ticket to the north
* Party yet to be named
* We are not disturbed, PDP leaders

By Jide Ajani, Deputy Editor & Henry Umoru

Abuja – Former military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the immediate past governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa have signed a pact which binds them all to give unconditional support to whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of their yet-to-be formed political party.

The pact zones the presidential ticket of the party to the north. Besides, all the party’s candidates for elective office, shall emerge through the process of a free and fair party primary. This covers election into any of the party offices.

Apart from the three politicians, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the group pushing for the emergence of a new political party which the sponsors insist is to enthrone a new political order has 20 other very strong members.
The name of the group is G-23.

The G-23, has on its membership list the names of some notable members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

This development is said to be already creating ripples in the parties especially the PDP.

In fact, the reason the veil is still being put on the membership of the group for now is because of the strategic positions of members in PDP.
*Atiku, Bafarawa and Buhari

*Atiku, Bafarawa and Buhari

A meeting has already been scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, in Abuja to ensure the sponsors agree on a name for the political party which is still in its embryonic stage.

Sunday Vanguard was reliably informed that the trio of Atiku, Buhari and Bafarawa decided not to go public with their activities until the details of the pact had been agreed to.

It was after the pact was signed by the three individuals that details of their moves began coming out.

A copy of the agreement, Sunday Vanguard was also told, is in the possession of each of the signees and would form the basis upon which the party to be formed would derive its working principles in line with democratic ethos,
A source close to the arrangement told Sunday Vanguard yesterday, “the reason why the three men took their time before going public was because most people had expressed pessimism at the development.

“The pessimism was based on the wrong assumption that the three men are too powerful in their respective rights to be able to work together and subsume their interests for the general good of all.”
The trio were all presidential candidates in 2007.

Atiku flew the flag of Action Congress, AC, Buhari, that of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in 2003 and 2007, and Bafarawa, Democratic Peoples Party, DPP.

Some leaders of PDP contacted by Sunday Vanguard for their reactions to the development spoke as follows:

Alhaji Umaru Ndanusa, a member, BoT of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“The meeting between former Head of state, Muhammadu Buhari and Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar will not in any way affect the PDP, it will not in any way cause sleepless nights for the party. The more our leaders come together, and grow the country, the better it is for Nigeria. It is not the meeting that is the issue, what should concern everyone in this country should be the mission, the mission of developing Nigeria, it should be a mission of development.

“As leaders, they are free to come together and they should know that as past leaders and as hero past, they have a responsibility for this generation and the next one to come. What we should be talking about now should be meetings tailored round development irrespective of the party one belongs, they are gathering as leaders, so PDP is not jittery, they are free to meet”.

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Member BoT of the PDP and member Ike Nwachukwu’s Elders Committee

“I tell you that the meeting has no effect on the PDP at all. We hope and pray that the opposition will be strong this time because the problem with them is that, they are not serious. The PDP is very cohesive and close to the grassroots and by 2010, you will see and feel more of that cohesiveness with the people. As you can see, in preparation for this, the party set up the Elders’ Committee to reach out to aggrieved members and where the PDP has crisis and we are achieving success in this regard. So, they can meet, PDP is not in any way disturbed at all”.

Senator Walid Jubril, Member BoT of PDP
“There is no any jittery at all, it is just a gathering, it will not affect the PDP. It is a positive achievement for the PDP. PDP does not fear that, they can hold the meeting 100,000 times, the PDP is not shaken about that, they have been meeting in the past and they are free to meet. The bottom line is that PDP is not moved and will not affect us.

Another member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) who spoke with Sunday Vanguard said, “They won’t go any where, we have passed that stage where people are not in touch with those at the grassroots, where the actions of some individuals in the country do not have any positive effect on the people except to grasp power at all cost, they will not succeed, so PDP is not moved and disturbed in any way”.

they should form an alliance and give the candidacy to someone like el rufai

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I support any pact,deal or arrangement that take away power from pdp.A visionless&agendaless party

Nah only these people suppose rule Nigeria? They have missruled before now they want to come back again, God forbid bad thing.

this is madness.
Why are people just so much into this "rule by force" nonsense.

Atiku, Bafarawa and Buhari = Northern oligarchy = more helpings of the same old shit