Ahead of the 2019 elections, some powerful forces in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are making overtures to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, with a view to handing him the party’s presidential ticket.
“Tambuwal is currently in the All Progressives Congress (APC) but he is being wooed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and some other PDP governors to return to the party he dumped ahead of the 2015 elections,” a report this morning in The Nation said.
Also pushing for the Sokoto governor’s candidature is a prominent traditional ruler in the North, the paper said, quoting unnamed party sources.
It added: “Wike, fresh from installing Prince Uche Secondus as party chairman despite vehement opposition from the likes of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is said to have drawn the ire of Jonathan and many of his supporters for promoting Tambuwal’s presidential ambition in PDP.
“Party sources said the anti-Tambuwal elements are uncomfortable with him in view of the role he played in the loss of power by the PDP in 2015, especially the defeat of Jonathan.
The Jonathan associates and some PDP governors have vowed to stop Tambuwal’s bid to secure the PDP presidential ticket.
“Tambuwal was Speaker of the House of Representatives under Jonathan and his defection from the PDP to the then newly formed APC laid the foundation for the defeat of the PDP in the 2015 polls.
“Party sources also said he might return to the party on the basis of an alleged unwritten agreement between him and Wike.
“He is the only APC governor that has not yet identified with the 2019 re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The Nation quoting a source conversant with the ongoing intrigues as saying: “Jonathan’s associates and some PDP governors are not comfortable with Tambuwal for betraying the party to pave the way for the victory of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015
“They believe that, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he was used by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN ) to destabilise the PDP, giving the ACN control of the House from 2011 to 2015
“They accused Tambuwal of working for ACN and later joining APC to fight Jonathan. Jonathan’s kinsmen and his associates have not forgotten the role he played in bringing down their man. To that extent, the ex-president’s camp sees Tambuwal as a hard sell in the South-South, particularly in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.
“Some PDP governors and leaders believe he will also be difficult to sell in the South-West because of the role he played in the defeat of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the Speakership race in 2015. Whereas the South-West supported him to become the Speaker by defeating Hon. Mulikat Adeola from Oyo State in 2015, he was implicated in working against Gbajabiamila, who was the zone’s choice for Speaker in 2015.
“Some PDP governors also believe that Tambuwal will be no match for Buhari in the north since his major political platform belongs to ex-Governor Aliyu Wammako who APC and strategists of Buhari are lobbying to remain in the ruling party.
“Wammakko, politically known as ‘Alu’, may prefer to return to the Senate on the ticket of APC as long as he can be allowed to single-handedly pick a successor to Tambuwal to consolidate his political base.”
But a PDP source reportedly said: “With Wike’s backing, Tambuwal may get the ticket. I think those making a strong case for Tambuwal have gone far on this project to be underrated.
“If Jonathan and his associates can be cut to size during the National Convention of PDP, Wike and others can have their way on Tambuwal.
“The aftermath in PDP might affect the chances of the party in 2019 because those in favour of the former Interim National Chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, as the preferred candidate for the party’s presidential mandate may cause an upset. Adopting Tambuwal will amount to abandoning the agreement with Makarfi by PDP governors to make him the party’s presidential candidate.
“I think a member of the Interim Caretaker Committee saw this coming when he advised Makarfi to seek a firm commitment from Wike and others. Makarfi preferred to have trust in these governors.
“Whatever it is, it is just a matter of when Tambuwal, who pulled the strings behind the scene during PDP convention, will move to PDP.
“Realising the danger of APC plot against him, Tambuwal has gone on the fast lane by winning prominent Emirs to his side and reconciling with the likes of ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa. This was what accounted for the enlargement of his cabinet to 25 on February 5. He also pulled the rug from under Wammako’s feet by appointing his younger brother, Ahmed Barade Wamakko, as Commissioner for Social Welfare.
“Also, the anti-Tambuwal elements in PDP and APC are not relenting. For instance, the alleged hounding of Prince Kassim Afegbua, who is the spokesman of Babangida, by security agencies might have been more about his role as a political strategist of Tambuwal than the ex-Military President.”
However, some PDP governors are considering Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, according to The Nation.
It quoted a third source as saying: “These governors say Dankwambo is young, well educated, urbane, cosmopolitan with less baggage. He was in Asaba last week when the governors met with the Secondus-led executives. He is also very close to Governor Ayo Fayose
“Their worry is whether or not he has the stature to defeat Buhari.”
Another PDP source added: “Dankwambo is too close to Governor Nasir el-Rufai for comfort. We are suspecting that APC is propping him up as a weak candidate to make it an easy ride for Buhari. We know their game plan.”