Presidential Election Scam Latest: Atiku, Gusau, Saraki Set To Step Down For IBB

By SaharaReporters, New York

A validation of the recent exclusive report by Saharareporters that other presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party  in the north are working for former Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Babangida, emerged today as four presidential aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) this afternoon issued a declaration that northern Nigeria must produce "one candidate" in the next presidential candidate in accordance with the party’s power rotation policy.

The aspirants: Ibrahim Bademasi Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Aliyu Gusau, and Bukola Saraki, said in a joint press statement that they have set up an eight-man committee drawn from their campaign organisations to “deliberate and advise” on recommending one of them as presidential candidate, a process that will almost certainly result in IBB becoming the party’s candidate.   

Each of these other “aspirants” from the North has definite ties to IBB and none of them will challenge him in a real contest:

•    Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki has been working behind the scenes for IBB, as Saharareporters has previously reported,

•    General Gusau is an IBB loyalist who served as Security Chief during the IBB years and helped annul June 12 presidential elections; and

•    Abubakar Atiku banks on IBB to help cover the political and economic damage done to him by Olusegun Obasanjo.

The statement was signed by the Directors-General of each campaign organization: Raymond Dokpesi, for Ibrahim Babangida; Chris Mammah, for Atiku Abubakar; Ben Obi, for Aliyu Gusau; and Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, for Bukola.

With this development, the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan, which is set to be formally announced tomorrow, may yield a full-blown war within the ruling party, a move that may lead to its final demise. The PDP which has always called itself a “family” is set to erupt. Analysts say assemblage of ambitions and egos at the very top of the party could result in a crisis the opposition could exploit to their benefit at the January 2011 elections.
If the Babangida strategy succeeds and he becomes the PDP candidate for the January 2011 elections, he would have positioned himself to grab back the job from which Nigerians popularly chased him in 1993, but national resistance builds against his emergence.

The full text of the joint statement is as follows:

An eight man committee drawn from the campaign organisations of General Ibrahim Babangida, Ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, General Aliyu Gusau and Governor Bukola Saraki has been set up to, among other things, deliberate and advise on the need to recommend a SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE among them and explore other areas of co-operation.

After its sitting today (Friday September 17, 2010), the committee resolved as follows:

1.     That it would present a SINGLE CANDIDATE among the four Presidential ASPIRANTS.

2.     The campaign organisations have also resolved to co-operate and work together towards achieving this objective

3.     It commends the FOUR ASPIRANTS for the sacrifice they have agreed to make towards achieving this goal.

    *

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Presidential Election Scam Latest: Atiku, Gusau, Saraki Set To Step Down For Babangida
Posted: September 17, 2010 - 18:05
Posted by siteadmin
caption: Abuabakar Atiku tripped on his boubou at a recent press conference in Abuja
By SaharaReporters, New York

A validation of the recent exclusive report by Saharareporters that other presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party  in the north are working for former Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Babangida, emerged today as four presidential aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) this afternoon issued a declaration that northern Nigeria must produce "one candidate" in the next presidential candidate in accordance with the party’s power rotation policy.

The aspirants: Ibrahim Bademasi Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Aliyu Gusau, and Bukola Saraki, said in a joint press statement that they have set up an eight-man committee drawn from their campaign organisations to “deliberate and advise” on recommending one of them as presidential candidate, a process that will almost certainly result in IBB becoming the party’s candidate.   

Each of these other “aspirants” from the North has definite ties to IBB and none of them will challenge him in a real contest:

•    Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki has been working behind the scenes for IBB, as Saharareporters has previously reported,

•    General Gusau is an IBB loyalist who served as Security Chief during the IBB years and helped annul June 12 presidential elections; and

•    Abubakar Atiku banks on IBB to help cover the political and economic damage done to him by Olusegun Obasanjo.

The statement was signed by the Directors-General of each campaign organization: Raymond Dokpesi, for Ibrahim Babangida; Chris Mammah, for Atiku Abubakar; Ben Obi, for Aliyu Gusau; and Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, for Bukola.

With this development, the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan, which is set to be formally announced tomorrow, may yield a full-blown war within the ruling party, a move that may lead to its final demise. The PDP which has always called itself a “family” is set to erupt. Analysts say assemblage of ambitions and egos at the very top of the party could result in a crisis the opposition could exploit to their benefit at the January 2011 elections.
If the Babangida strategy succeeds and he becomes the PDP candidate for the January 2011 elections, he would have positioned himself to grab back the job from which Nigerians popularly chased him in 1993, but national resistance builds against his emergence.

The full text of the joint statement is as follows:

An eight man committee drawn from the campaign organisations of General Ibrahim Babangida, Ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, General Aliyu Gusau and Governor Bukola Saraki has been set up to, among other things, deliberate and advise on the need to recommend a SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE among them and explore other areas of co-operation.

After its sitting today (Friday September 17, 2010), the committee resolved as follows:

1.     That it would present a SINGLE CANDIDATE among the four Presidential ASPIRANTS.

2.     The campaign organisations have also resolved to co-operate and work together towards achieving this objective

3.     It commends the FOUR ASPIRANTS for the sacrifice they have agreed to make towards achieving this goal.

Finally, the FOUR ASPIRANTS enjoin their supporters nationwide to remain calm and focused, assuring them of their resolve to work together to move this country forward.