Indications emerged on Sunday that the efforts of Northern politicians to produce a consensus aspirant that will contest against President Goodluck Jonathan during the Peoples Democratic Party presidential primaries have hit a brickwall.

Investigations showed that none of the four aspirants being considered as the consensus aspirant was ready to step down for the other, despite their public affirmations that they would.

The aspirants are former military President Ibrahim Babangida; ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former National Security Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau; and Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki.

Some prominent politicians from the North had, a few weeks ago, set up a 17-member team to produce an aspirant that would vie for the PDP ticket against the President. The move is part of efforts to ensure that the North produces the next President of the country.

The team, which comprises three representatives of each zone in the North, has as members, the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido; A.B.Mahmoud and Alhaji Magaji Dambatta (North-West); Chief Audu Ogbeh; Dr. Iyochia Ayu and Dr. Ignatius Ayua (North- Central); and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma; Gombe State Governor Garuba Goje as well as Mr. Ricky Tarfa (North- East).

Our correspondent gathered that Gusau and Abubakar were embittered by moves by some members of the committee to impose Babangida on them without considering whether his (Babangida) candidacy would ”sell or not.”

The four aspirants had in a joint statement by their campaign coordinators on September 17, 2010 agreed that one of them should be picked as a consensus aspirant.

It was gathered that the committee, which also has the campaign coordinators of the aspirants as members, would have concluded its meetings on September 21 and made its recommendations known on September 22.

Its progress is, however, believed to have been hampered by the unwillingness of the aspirant to let go of their ambitions.

Investigations showed that the aspirants had initially agreed to abide by the decisions of the committee. But there were strong indications on Sunday that they were sharply divided.

It was also learnt that the Abubakar camp, in particular, had been pushing for the candidacy of the former vice-president on the grounds that he had stepped down for other candidates in 1993 and 2003.

An associate of the former vice-president, who pleaded anonymity, said, “You will recall that in 1993, Abubakar stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola at the Jos convention of the defunct Social Democratic Party. In 2003, he also rejected the governors‘ advice to contest against Obasanjo.”

Babangida, who is said to have held extensive meetings with the members of the committee, is said to be touting his experience as his edge over the others.

“Babangida has been telling members his candidacy will be accepted by all,” said a member of the committee, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised by the committee to comment on the matter.

THE PUNCH gathered that although Saraki had consistently described himself as a Northerner, the feeling among the commttee members was that the consensus aspirant should be an Hausa/Fulani.

Saraki had said that if the North was to pick any consensus aspirant, he should be selected because he was the youngest among the four.

Investigations showed that the confusion in the committee was compounded by Gusau, who last week, was quoted as saying that he was in the race to win and not to step down for any aspirant.

Analysts say Gusau‘s comment is a veiled reference to Babangida, who is believed to have the sympathy of many of the committee members.

The former NSA‘s Director of Organisation, Senator Ben Obi, had in an interview with journalists two weeks ago said, “That Gusau has no debilitating baggage associated with him over the 40 years of untainted public service, speaks volumes about the moral and intellectual force of the candidate as a person and as a presidential aspirant.”

Another committee member, who spoke to our our correspondent on Sunday, on the basis of anonymity said, “The three others are suspecting that the committee is bent on imposing Babangida on them. But it is an open secret that the former miliary dictator is the most unsellable of the four. His antecedents will work against the interest of the North. He cannot win elections in the region, much less in the whole country.”

Analysts say the discordant tunes from committee members could be an indication of the committe’s inability to agree on a consensus aspirant.

When contacted, the Media Consultant to Abubakar, Mallam Garuba Sheu, said that the former vice-president’s camp was committed to the process of producing a Northern consensus aspirant.

He said, ”We are committed to the process that will lead to the emergence of a Northern aspirant, who will be presented to the rest of Nigeria. We have submitted ourselves to the process. We, however, believe that our candidate (Abubakar) is favoured, if it is based on merit.”

Also the spokesperson for Gusau, Mr. Segun Babatope, said that the former NSA was ready to abide by the decision of the elders.

He added that all the aspirants had earlier agreed to that.

He said, “Once the elders pick a candidate, others will step down for other person picked. The general has said do severally. That is his position.”