Preliminary preparations by the North to wrest power from President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 got underway in Kaduna on Thursday with a high-powered meeting of Northern governors and leaders of thought on the issue. But the preparations appear to have run into a hitch following disagreements on the modalities for arriving at the consensus candidate ahead of that election.
It was learnt that while the meeting of Kaduna and others before it had x-rayed issues of disunity in the North, and the need to emphasise the One North agenda, there were divisions on who to pick as consensus candidate who could possibly challenge President Goodluck Jonathan if he decides to run for second term in office.
It was learnt that some loyalists of former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, were uncomfortable with a plan to promote the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, as a possible consensus candidate of the North in 2015.
According to sources, though the Babangida camp would want the emergence of a consensus Northern candidate to ensure the North speaks with one voice, it is not comfortable with the decision of some people who are already touting Buhari as the possible candidate.
Also, the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is said to be uncomfortable with the bid to promote Buhari as a possible consensus candidate, especially as Buhari had shunned all efforts to ensure the emergence of a united candidate ahead of the 2011 election.
Atiku had emerged the consensus candidate of the Northern Political Leaders Forum(NPLF) headed by Alhaji Adamu Ciroma in the build up to the 2011 presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he lost to President Goodluck Jonathan.
A source stated that: “Though there was the resolution to adopt a consensus candidate at the Kaduna meeting and most of the meetings earlier held since last year, there are those who are opposed to the modalities to be adopted because some persons were already canvassing the candidacy of General Buhari.
“It is on record that Buhari has started making consultations with leaders outside the North, but he seems to want to go it alone, so some stakeholders in the camp of General Babangida and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are uncomfortable.”
Sources stated that those who question the planned consensus option openly demanded to know the criteria to be used to arrive at a particular choice, adding that some of them were infuriated that some participants had started endorsing Buhari.
Others opposed to the choice of Buhari and the modalities for the consensus option were said to be those who are not in the General’s good book and those who believe that he is dangerous to trust with power, another source said.
It was also gathered that most of the second term governors who are interested in the race believe that a blanket adoption of Buhari could blight their ambitions, even while Buhari might not see them as having helped his chances in anyway.
via Tribune: http://tribune.com.ng/sun/front-page-articles/7349-2015-north-divided-over-consensus-option-ibb-atiku-groups-oppose-bid-to-pick-buhari
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