Even more than the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, the rank of presidential aspirants within the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria swells by the day. No longer a one-horse race, the contest for the presidential ticket of ACN, expected to be decided in January will pit former anti-corruption czar, Nuhu Ribadu, against other worthies including the Secretary General of the party, Usman Bugaje; former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; former chairman of the Alliance for Democracy, Yusuf Mamman and respected veteran politician, Shehu Malami.
Now, former military head of state, Muhammadu Buhari has been thrown into the mix. Mr Buhari, who appears to be the only presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, might join the fray if the alliance talk between his party and the ACN becomes a reality.
At his formal declaration to contest the 2011 presidential elections a forth-night ago in Abuja, Mr Buhari was reluctant to speak on the alliance between his party and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Mr Buhari unfolded his plans to the applause of teeming supporters in an address that lasted about one hour; but refused to talk about his strategy apart from urging other opposition parties to join him in forging an alliance to dislodge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power at the centre.
When a journalist asked him about the alliance, the retired general parried the question, saying it is in progress. He did admit that he was still waiting for the report of Aminu Bello Masari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who led the CPC team to the talks.
A source in the party said Mr Buhari had avoided talking directly about the alliance because of the problems facing the discussion, especially the alleged insistence of the former governor of Lagos State, Ahmed Bola Tinubu to be Mr Buhari’s running mate in the presidential election.
The ACN team to the talks, led by Niyi Adebayo, a former governor of Ekiti State, consistently proposed Mr Tinubu, who ran Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, as its choice for the vice presidential slot. His reason was that the former governor pulls considerable influence in the polity, having governed a metropolitan state like Lagos and served as a senator.
Besides, Mr Tinubu as the de facto leader of ACN, which now has four states in its kitty and considerable influence in other states, has shown that he could deliver the votes that the alliance needs.
However, the CPC team was said to have opposed Mr Tinubu’s choice, largely on the basis of religion. Mr Tinubu, like Mr Buhari, is a Muslim. The former head of state was said to have opposed the combination, especially because of the way he is perceived by some Nigerians as a religious fundamentalist.
“The fear is that a Muslim-Muslim ticket cannot fly,” a source in CPC told NEXT last Friday. “You know this country, it will become a campaign issue because some people, especially the party we are fighting will use it against us.
“Besides, some Nigerians erroneously and mischievously see Buhari as a Muslim fanatic and so if he chooses another Muslim to run with him, it may not fly and therefore we may not be able to achieve the desired result. It may not work like the Abiola/Kingibe SDP ticket. The idea is to have a strong presence in both ends of the country. Buhari needs Tinubu and ACN just as Tinubu needs Buhari. They have since realized that.”
Matching strengths and weaknesses
But Osita Okechukwu, a close ally of Mr Buhari opined that the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket is not weighty enough to discourage the plot to oust the PDP from power.
“The most important thing is that the two groups should come together ,” Mr Okechukwu said. “They are two important forces to be reckoned with in the polity today and that alliance will drive fear into the PDP.
“Those talking about Buhari being a religious fanatic do not know the man enough. Here is a man who, for the 20 months that he was in power as a military head of state, he did not approve Nigeria joining the Organisation for Islamic Countries (OIC). The request was on his desk for 20 months but he did not approve.” Mr Okechukwu may be right. The calculation is that the CPC’s strong presence in about seven northern states and ACN’s in the six South Western states and parts of south south, could damage the PDP’s electoral fortune. Both parties, by the time the talks are concluded, are expected to field joint candidates in areas where they have comparative advantage.
The ACN, the older of the two, is coming into the alliance as a senior partner since it controls four governors and maintains some presence in other states across the country. Although it has taken the north and some parts of the South east by storm, the CPC only has some members in the Senate and the House of Representatives, thanks to a recent defection.
However, both teams have reportedly softened their positions. NEXT was told last week that the parties have meandered out of the Muslim-Muslim imbroglio. As at last week, the ACN team was toying with the idea of presenting Chris Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State as Mr Buhari’s running mate. The candidacy of Mr Ngige may be proposed at the alliance talks which continues after the December 21 national convention of the ACN.
Presidential candidates
But beyond the problem of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, there is the problem of individual ambitions. At present, the ACN has about five presidential aspirants on its platform. They are the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu; a former chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Yusuf Mamman; and the incumbent secretary of the party, Usman Bugaje; Others are former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; and Shehu Malami from Sokoto State, all of who are from the northern part of the country, which is favoured to produce the flag bearer.
One of the key attributes of the candidates of the ACN is their youthfulness. In fact, the party triggered an enthusiastic discussion on the need for a generation shift in the political leadership of the nation when it said that it is seeking what was termed a ‘child of independence’, that is, a candidate who is under 50 years of age, to be its presidential flag bearer for the 2011 elections.
That would squarely put Messrs Ribadu, Mamman and to some extent, Bugaje and Bafarawa in the front line. Of the lot, only Mr Ribadu has publicly declared his candidacy. He is also probably the longest running candidate within the party. In fact, he spurned a high level job from President Jonathan to pitch his tent with the ACN, with a view to becoming its candidate.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja during his declaration, Mr Ribadu said he was ready to set the stage for a new Nigeria in 2011. “Together we will set the stage for a new Nigeria,” he said. “I believe that it is possible to ensure justice for the people, to ensure the security of lives and properties, peace and stability that will engender growth and development.” He said his late father taught him the true meaning of public service, which is service to the people. “I understood that public service meant putting the interest of the people first, working with them, empowering them to contribute to the development of the country,” he said.
Mr Bugaje also told NEXT about his frustration with the way governance is practiced in Nigeria which he said led him to join the race. A former lecturer, activist and lawmaker, he said several opportunities for growth has been missed by Nigerian leaders.
“I came back to the legislature, spent four years and I could see also what opportunities are being lost and what could be done. This country has, in the last ten years, the kind of resources that it never got right from the beginning of its independence and ironically within the same period, the poverty rate doubled. I mean, it is a paradox,” he said “These are some of the motivations and I feel if something is not done by people who really care, and who have the capacity and the vision, then this country will go down the drain. I have always made this point to the elite in this country, because the elite has abandoned its responsibility and has done this by allowing politics to go to people who have no jobs. Politics is now seen as a vocation for people who have tried every other trade and failed and therefore it has become a dumping ground.”
Mr Bafarawa, last month, left the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) with his supporters, for the ACN. He was one of the key figures behind the drive by opposition leaders to form an entity strong enough to challenge the PDP although that effort, couched in the need to form a mega party, did not quite succeed. He, however, agreed to collapse his structure into the ACN as a vehicle for realising his ambition. He still has a court case, instituted by the EFCC, to deal with along the way.
Messrs Malami and Mamman are late entrants into the race, although both have been in politics longer than the others. Mr Mamman, a broadcaster and former ambassador to Spain was a former leader of the precursor of the AC, the Alliance for Democracy.
In the main, it is believed that the strength of the proposed alliance is responsible for the emergence of many presidential aspirants on the platform of ACN. For the aspirants, the marriage of the CPC and the ACN will be the strongest threat to the political behemoth, PDP, in the forthcoming polls.
John Omokhomion, chairman of the media and publicity committee of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and Chido Onumah, who speaks for the Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation, say the emergence of many presidential aspirants does not pose a problem to the ongoing talks between the parties.
Mr Omokhiomon specifically noted that the development is not a threat to his principal since, at the end of the day, both teams will decide who flies the presidential flag of the alliance.
“It should not affect us,” he told NEXT last Friday in a telephone interview.
“Naturally alliance talks include considering people who will emerge, but the talks are still going on. Be patient, I will give you every detail by the time we conclude the talks. Those details you cannot get now. Who is going to run or not, those details will be worked out later.” Mr Onumah, who spoke in the same vein, wondered what will happen if the talks break down along the line, stressing that aspirants would have had their ambition truncated.
“If there is a merger of sorts, the parties involved will work out the modalities. Don’t forget there are other parties talking. The parties have not reached agreement and so individuals having interest in any elective position have to emerge. If you are saying they shouldn’t show interest, what if the talks do not work out?” Mr Onumah said in a telephone chat with NEXT.
Mr Okechukwu, who is the national publicity secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) a coalition of opposition parties in the country, however said the issue of who emerges as the flag bearer of the alliance should not pose a problem because, according to him, it has been naturally settled.
While noting the strength of some of the aspirants, the opposition leader said Mr Buhari should be allowed to claim the ticket because he (Buhari) is more visible than the others.
“As far as political calculation is concerned, Buhari stands above others, whether Ribadu or Bafarawa. Besides, Ribadu and Bafarawa have long years to go. Buhari’s last outing is next year. Again, he is transparent and has the experience,” Mr Okechukwu said even with the problems confronting it, the proposed alliance is creating panic in the ruling PDP. Only last Thursday, during the meeting of its national executive committee (NEC), PDP chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo acknowledged that its opponents are strategising and therefore members should resolve to work together.
On his part, President Goodluck Jonathan, while frowning at the crises in the PDP over election guidelines/timetable and the quest by the National Assembly members to be part of the NEC, warned party members against playing into the hands of the opposition.
“This is a ruling party,” he said. “All the party organs must come together and work as a team. You should play politics in a way to show that we belong to the same family.”
Source:http://234next.com/
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