http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70478:nnamani-soludo-ekweremadu-favoured-as-atikus-running-mate-&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

•As Ben Obi emerges campaign Director-General
Olusola Sanni and Johnchuks Onuanyim, Abuja


The search for a running mate to a former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for the 2011 election has begun in earnest.
Sources told the Nigerian Compass on Sunday that Abubakar, who emerged as the consensus candidate of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), will have another consensus candidate from the South-East as running mate.
Those said to be in contention for the vice-presidential slot include a former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Soludo; and the Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu.
It was gathered that those in favour of the consensus arrangement have all agreed that the search for Abubakar’s running mate be narrowed to the South-East geopolitical zone.
In fact, the Nigerian Compass gathered that the Igbo Political Leaders Forum, led by Second Republic Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekweme, will play a key role in nominating Abubakar’s running mate.
Sources told the Nigerian Compass that former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, is also expected to make significant contributions to the process that will lead to the emergence of Abubakar’s running mate.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Compass on Sunday in its last two editions had exclusively reported that the campaign structures of the four Northern presidential hopefuls on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be collapsed after the emergence of the consensus presidential candidate.
This was confirmed on Saturday as the four presidential aspirants from the North on the platform of the PDP endorsed the appointment of the former Director-General of the General Aliyu Gusau Presidential Campaign Organisation, Senator Ben Obi, as the Director-General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation.
Going by the development and the other terms of the agreement entered into by the aspirants, Babangida would nominate Abubakar’s running mate.
Sources told the Nigerian Compass that Babangida has been mandated to forward three names for consideration.
However, the final decision of who to pair with Abubakar, it was learnt, would be taken by the Igbo Political Leaders Forum.
Although, according to the source, Babangida is yet to reveal his nominees, the expectation is that Nnamani would top Babangida’s list.
The source said, “There are already negotiations as to the selection of the running mate to Atiku Abubakar.
“It was agreed during the search for the consensus candidate that the person who comes second in the ballot would make an input into the choice of the running mate to the winner of the exercise.
“And given the fact that Babangida came second during the ballot, it is expected that he will make contributions to the selection of the running mate to Abubakar.
“IBB (Babangida) will nominate three persons and the names of the three nominees will be sent to the South-East political leadership to pick one as their candidate.
“It is not yet known who and who IBB will nominate. But we know that the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, is his man.”
It was gathered that those whose names have been thrown up and their sponsors have been making contacts with the Ekwueme-led group that was set up by political leaders in the zone to pick a vice-presidential candidate.
The Ekwueme committee is an offshoot of the Igbo Political Leaders Forum, which had entered into alliance with the NPLF.
The two groups had agreed to support the North to produce a president in 2011 while the South- East will produce the president in 2015.
Although the Ekwueme committee has not come out with modalities for the selection of a consensus vice-presidential candidate for Abubakar, it was gathered from several sources that the aspiring politicians have been making contacts with those who can push their candidacy.
Although it could not be confirmed if Ekweremadu is involved in the process, it was learnt that some highly placed senators and members of the House of Representatives have been pushing his candidacy as Abubakar’s running mate.
Their argument, according to sources, is that Ekweremadu’s nomination will guarantee the former vice-president an overwhelming majority of votes from the members of the National Assembly.
The PDP has an estimated 77 senators and about 260 members in the House of Representatives.
However, there are strong indications that governors from the South-East have been identified by the zone’s political leaders as a formidable power house from which a running mate should be picked for Abubakar.
The argument of those pushing for the selection of one of the governors is that they control most of the delegates comprising the state party executive, party leaders at the local government level and members of the state assemblies.
It is reckoned by the people canvassing this position that if the governors present one of their own, they will deliver most of the delegates from the zone to Abubakar.
Also in strong contention for the ticket are Nnamani and Soludo.
Nnamani is said to be the choice candidate of Babangida’s group while some intelligentsia in the South-East are said to favour Soludo.
Nnamani is said to be banking on the support of Babangida and his relationship with Abubakar during the battle against the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to get the VP’s slot.
Nnamadi presided over the defeat of the third term agenda in May 2006 as the president of the Senate.
Abubakar, who was then Obasanjo’s deputy, worked with members of the National Assembly to defeat the agenda.
Soludo’s strength lies in his knowledge of the economy, which many of the top politicians in the scheme believe is very crucial to any government in contemporary Nigeria.
On Saturday, as first reported by the Nigerian Compass on Sunday, Obi emerged as the Director General of the Atiku Abubabakar Campaign Organisation.
This is under the unified structure of the campaign organisations of the Northern presidential aspirants on the platform of the PDP.
According to Babangida, who spoke to journalists after a meeting of the all the presidential aspirants and members of the campaign organisations, other appointments would be made later.
One of such appointments, Babangida said, is the position of the running mate to Abubakar.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that before the unveiling of Abubakar as the consensus candidate of the North for the 2011 presidential election, Obasanjo made certain moves to divide the North in the search for a consensus candidate.
Sources told the Nigerian Compass that Obasanjo approached the Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Sule Lamido, and the Governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Muritala Nyako, to search for a presidential aspirant from among the governors of the PDP in the North.
It was gathered that Lamido told Obasanjo that going by the level of consultation done by the NPLF, which was saddled with the task of producing the consensus candidate for the North, it would be difficult for the governors in the region to move in the opposite direction.
The source said, “Towards the time the Malam Adamu Ciroma-led NPLF was to unveil the consensus candidate, Obasanjo actually approached Governors Lamido and Nyako, telling them that they should both seek a presidential aspirant from among the PDP governors in the Northern part of the country.
“Obviously, the move is to divide the North and make a nonsense of the Northern consensus candidate being promoted by the Ciroma committee.
“But, unfortunately, the governors did not yield, and Lamido specifically told him that going by the extensive consultation made by the Ciroma committee, it was already too late in the day for the governors to stand in the way of the NLPF.”

Obiagu1:

The North amazes me. Who's going to defeat them when they show unity like this? The South is at their mercy, period!

1025:

pls let atiku not try soludo because he is a failure and an agent of obasanjo. i will like to see an atiku nnamani combination that will project nnamani as the next nigerian president afterwards.
all anti third term agenda candidates must work together to pull down this obasanjo stronghold.
i can wait for ohanaeze ndigbo to re-endorse atiku/nnamani presidency.

alj harem:

gbammmm, so when will the south unite

Obiagu1:

The division between East and West is more than the division between East and North, so go figure.
Igbos are very much at home in the North that the West. The only problem with the North is religious crises.

jason12345:

how?

Obiagu1:

The division between East and West is more than the division between East and North, so go figure.
Igbos are very much at home in the North that the West. The only problem with the North is religious crises.

Omenani:

I must say this is a brilliant move by the North. Say what you hate about the North, but you cannot deny that these people are shrewd. These are the children of Uthman Dan Fodio.

jason12345:

how?

Obiagu1:

Minus Lagos, a former capital, how many luxurious buses leave Onitsha to say Ibadan or Akure etc. Go to the parks and see the volume of buses that go to the North from the East. Many Igbos want to visit Kano, or Kaduna, or Jos etc but mention Ibadan to them and hear the hiss.

Obiagu1:

Minus Lagos, a former capital, how many luxurious buses leave Onitsha to say Ibadan or Akure etc. Go to the parks and see the volume of buses that go to the North from the East. Many Igbos want to visit Kano, or Kaduna, or Jos etc but mention Ibadan to them and hear the hiss.

jason12345:

is it based on discrimination or economical reasons?

Obiagu1:

. . .  but Ibadan is a very big city to attract many Igbos there but that's not the case. I remember an incidence when a friend's cousin returned from Ibadan where he resides and when he told us he lived in Ibadan, everyone was so surprised. What was in everyone's mind was "Ibadan”

Well, I've lived in Lagos and the North and dealt with both peoples and I'll tell you that my experience with Yorubas has erased any hope of ever going to Ibadan.

Obiagu1:


Igbos are very much at home in the North that the West. The only problem with the North is religious crises.

1025:

pls let atiku not try soludo because he is a failure and an agent of obasanjo. [b] i will like to see an atiku nnamani combination that will project nnamani as the next nigerian president afterwards.[/b]all anti third term agenda candidates must work together to pull down this obasanjo stronghold.
i can wait for ohanaeze ndigbo to re-endorse atiku/nnamani presidency.

Obiagu1:

It is part economical, part trust and part discrimination/tribalism. Igbos find it hard to deal with Yorubas in business; nothing is ever straightforward. There's so much distrust between the two.

OAM4J:

Who cares?

And what has South-west got to do with this? Abeg free us jor!

The west is presently not interested in Atiku, Jonathan or who becomes whoever's running mate in PDP.

Presently, what is going on the West is 'OPERATION KICK OUT PDP FROM THE WEST' Which by the grace of God and the strong will of the S.W people, will be concluded by May 2011 when we'll finally kick out the last 2 PDP Nuisances in Ogun and Oyo. And after May 2011 we bigging the campaign for a True Federalism.

If the South-East want, they can keep 'dobale-ing' - (prostrating and bigging) the North to give them some federal carrot. The West want none of it and pls leave us out of your North behind licking.

OAM4J:

Who cares?

And what has South-west got to do with this? Abeg free us jor!

The west is presently not interested in Atiku, Jonathan or who becomes whoever's running mate in PDP.

Presently, what is going on the West is 'OPERATION KICK OUT PDP FROM THE WEST' Which by the grace of God and the strong will of the S.W people, will be concluded by May 2011 when we'll finally kick out the last 2 PDP Nuisances in Ogun and Oyo. And after May 2011 we bigging the campaign for a True Federalism.

If the South-East want, they can keep 'dobale-ing' - (prostrating and bigging) the North to give them some federal carrot. The West want none of it and pls leave us out of your North behind licking.

OAM4J:

Who cares?

And what has South-west got to do with this? Abeg free us jor!

The west is presently not interested in Atiku, Jonathan or who becomes whoever's running mate in PDP.

Presently, what is going on the West is 'OPERATION KICK OUT PDP FROM THE WEST' Which by the grace of God and the strong will of the S.W people, will be concluded by May 2011 when we'll finally kick out the last 2 PDP Nuisances in Ogun and Oyo. And after May 2011 we bigging the campaign for a True Federalism.

If the South-East want, they can keep 'dobale-ing' - (prostrating and bigging) the North to give them some federal carrot. The West want none of it and pls leave us out of your North behind licking.

bk.babe97y:

. . . . and the fact that they'll behead your treacherous aszzes any chance they get! At home with the North indeed!ROFLMAO! You Ibos are the most foolish people Ive ever come across in my life! You cant force someone to love you, always remember that!

McKren:

Have your SouthWest party produced any President yet?

Was it not in the same PDP that OBJ emerged?

Did OBJ not postrate for Atiku in 2003?

Where is OBJ from and where is Atiku from?

While you speak figuratively about others postrating for others remember that your pepople have actually physically done so already.

igbobuigbo:

Arent Yorubas equally beheaded in the North? Since Igbos retaliated in Aba/Onitsha, it became clear the North got the message, hence they now turned their beheading mentality toward the Yoruba.

Blazay:

Yeah right.
Something you could not accomplish during OBJ's tenure.
Bravo!
Of what use is any party in the west now when the main seat of political power is  no longer relevant in the West?
Make una kill unaselves jare. Who cares?
You are all the same toro and shi shi.


Have you guys not stolen enough under OBJ who was able to enrich Otedola and Adenuga to name just a few with Nigeria' oil money from the South?

OAM4J:

Who cares?

And what has South-west got to do with this? Abeg free us jor!

The west is presently not interested in Atiku, Jonathan or who becomes whoever's running mate in PDP.

Presently, what is going on the West is 'OPERATION KICK OUT PDP FROM THE WEST' Which by the grace of God and the strong will of the S.W people, will be concluded by May 2011 when we'll finally kick out the last 2 PDP Nuisances in Ogun and Oyo. And after May 2011 we bigging the campaign for a True Federalism.

If the South-East want, they can keep 'dobale-ing' - (prostrating and bigging) the North to give them some federal carrot. The West want none of it and pls leave us out of your North behind licking.