Pro-Atiku APC leaders move against proposed Buhari-Tinubu - TopicsExpress



          

Pro-Atiku APC leaders move against proposed Buhari-Tinubu Presidential ticket Following reports of the planned endorsement of the Buhari-Tinubu APC ticket for the 2015 Presidential election by top APC leaders led by former FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai, key supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have commenced wide-spread consultations to promote his candidature for the party in the 2015 election on the platform of the opposition APC. The supporters of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led by a former Governor of a State in North Central Nigeria have met with Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State to build a consensus around Atiku. Attempts by the Atiku team to convince the South-West governors did not yield results as they were told that the governors remain resolute behind Tinubu’s quest to become the country’s next Vice President. Investigations revealed that at the meetings with Amaechi and Okorocha, the Atiku team canvassed the need to have a Christian running mate for the APC Presidential candidate. They had argued that the situation in Nigeria today cannot support a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Both governors agreed, it was gathered, to support Atiku in setting up his campaign structures across South-South and South-East to ease his Presidential primaries. A source close to the Atiku Campaign team said that the former Vice President will also push for a mock primary against Buhari and other northern aspirants in the APC by July. He used a similar tactic to frustrate Ibrahim Babangida and Bukola Saraki out of the PDP Presidential primaries in 2010. According to the source: “Atiku is banking on the fact that Buhari is not popular with the northern political elite. The mock primary is expected to push Buhari out of the race. From what we have gathered, Atiku will sponsor three other northern Presidential candidate in APC to force Buhari out of the race”. It was further learnt that Amaechi and Okorocha have been primed to join the race for the Presidential ticket, in order to limit the chances of Buhari, after which Amaechi will receive Atiku’s Vice Presidential slot and Okorocha will return to Imo to seek a second term. Okorocha who is said to have issues with Buhari, played a similar role in the defunct ANPP for Obasanjo, after which he gladly took up appointment as a Special Adviser to the former President. Amaechi who has in his quest to get the APC Vice Presidential ticket lobbied Nasir El-Rufai is said to be disappointed that the former Minister would turn around to support Tinubu for the Vice Presidential slot. The embattled governor is said to have said that he would not allow any cabal in the APC to rubbish him, after he was assured of the Vice Presidential slot in the presence of Buhari and Tinubu before he defected.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 15:59:22 +0000

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