Northern leaders mount pressure on Buhari, Atiku, Kwankwaso SOME influential leaders from the northern part of the country are mounting intense pressure on the three leading presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to mutually agree among themselves on a consensus candidate for the party, so as to brighten the party’s chance in 2015 election. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari; former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Governor Musa Kwankwaso have each obtained the presidential nomination forms of the APC, preparatory to its national convention, which may be attended by 10,000 delegates. Before now, the adoption of the modified direct primaries by party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had elicited mixed feelings within the camps of the leading contestants for the ticket. Nigerian Tribune gathered that the northern leaders involved in the intense lobbying for consensus among the aspirants cut across a broad spectrum of groups and organisations, which parade highly influential northerners from the three zones in the North. The leaders were reportedly determined to ensure that at least one of the aspirants steps down, so that the remaining two can go for the APC primaries, but with a prior understanding that one of them was the preferred candidate ahead the national convention on December 2. The ongoing broad-based consultations by the eminent persons and groups was said to be part of a seemingly multifaceted approach by the major stakeholders of the party to produce what some sources at the APC extra-ordinary meeting, held last week Friday, in Abuja, an acceptable candidates for the party. It will be recalled that the Northern Elders’ Forum sent a representative to a meeting of the APC stakeholders in the North, held in Kaduna, about three weeks ago. The sources said that some of the leaders involved in the current consultations had “placed on the table, some suggestions on how the party can be in good stead for the 2015 election, which include the imperative of a candidate with pedigree.” One of the sources added: “I can assure you that a number of influential members of powerful institutions and groups have stepped up moves to convince the aspirants on the need for consensus. They agreed that we need a candidate that the party can flaunt his pedigree and integrity against the standard-bearer of the PDP. “So, the leaders are complementing the current efforts by other major stakeholders to ensure the three contenders reach a mutual understanding on the presidential ticket. They are already working out the possibility of the aspirants agreeing that one of them should be adopted on consensus.” Another source, who corroborated the claim, said the leaders were looking at who, among the aspirants, was not only tested and found to be of a high moral standing, but also had the capacity to lead the country to the next level from next year. According to the sources, the northern leaders and leading stakeholders in the APC believed that the race for the party’s ticket was gradually being narrowed down to two aspirants, especially going by the body language of many APC governors. Apart from the governors of three of the APC aspirants in the North, virtually all the other governors of the party had already queued behind Buhari. Accordingly, some of the northern leaders had made tactical approach to one of the aspirants on the possibility of his stepping down, so as to brighten the chances of another considered as capable of leading the party through the election. In the meantime, not fewer than two governors from another political party were said to have reached an agreement with their APC counterparts for the 2015 election, once the APC resolved the issue of its presidential ticket. My take: we in APC know our worthy presidential hopeful likewise, Nigerians in their minds know their next President. B - Best U - Upright H - Honest A - Accommodating R - Resourceful I - Intelligent
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 17:53:34 +0000
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