Former military Head of state and chieftain of opposition All Peoples Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari alongside Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi may have lost out in their bid for 2015 presidential ticket of their party.
The development followed what APC leaders called “strategic rethinking” against the backdrop of expected move by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal to defect from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the opposition camp.
Buhari was reportedly favoured by the party to fly its presidential flag in 2015 while Amaechi was to be his running mate.
In deciding to dump the earlier speculated Buhari-Amaechi presidential ticket, leaders of the party were said to have weighed the consequences of each of the two politicians flying the party’s flag vis-à-vis what niche they are bringing to the APC.
“For Buhari, our honest assessment is that he remains a hard sell; especially in the middle belt and the entire south. This is about votes and not the noise we see many people make. Rivers state governor, who has some pluses also in our thinking, is a politician that we think can easily rock any boat once he cannot have his say and his way. So we felt we need to source for alternatives,” said a leading member of APC in the South- West last night.
The leader, who acknowledged that APC is currently embroiled in a crisis over control of the party’s structures in the states, quipped that “we are thinking of having Raji Fashola and somebody we are expecting to join us soon to pick the ticket. While Fashola will be the presidential running mate like we planned for Amaechi, the person we are expecting will become our presidential material in place of Buhari.”
Nigerian Pilot further learnt that Tambuwal was the expected new member of APC for whom the party has reserved the 2015 presidential ticket. If he defects to the APC, Tambuwal is expected to drop his Sokoto governorship bid which he has been nursing on the platform of the PDP for the APC shot at the presidential bid. The foregoing raised speculations that Tambuwal may have concluded plans to defect to APC soon.
It was reliably gathered that the Speaker’s plan was not unconnected with reports that more members of the House would decamp from the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP to the APC when the House returns from its Christmas and New Year break.
According to a source close to the Speaker, more than 15 more members of the House would be declaring for the APC thereby meeting the target of a simple majority to take over the leadership of the House.
His meeting with Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio last weekend in Uyo was to sound up the top PDP governor. But the latter’s counsel to Tambuwal was simple: “remain under the big PDP umbrella and stall defections to APC.”
It would be recalled that the All Progressive Congress has the highest number of members since 37 members from the PDP defected leaving PDP with 171 members against the APC’s 173 members.
Should the 15 members from the PDP move to the APC, the implication is that the current principal officers of the House from PDP would be dropped to pave way for principal officers from the APC.
It was further gathered that because Tambuwal does not want to lose his Speakership position, the option for him is to join the APC.
Although the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam dismissed the story as mere speculation, another aide to the Speaker did not only confirm the story but said that he would decamp alongside other members loyal to him.
“Yes, can confirm to you that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal will next Tuesday decamp to the APC when the House resumes sitting. This is authentic and I can also tell you that he is decamping with some other members of the House who are loyal to him”, the aide disclosed to Nigerian Pilot.
However, Imam Imam insisted that the story is not true saying: “You know my oga as he does his things, if such a big thing is happening he should have by now made it known to people like you. As far as I am concerned, I am hearing this from you and it is a mere speculation.”
Spokesman of APC, Lai Mohammed when contacted on this and other stories told Nigerian Pilot that “I won’t comment on it until you publish the story.”
Former military Head of state and chieftain of opposition All Peoples Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari alongside Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi may have lost out in their bid for 2015 presidential ticket of their party.
The development followed what APC leaders called “strategic rethinking” against the backdrop of expected move by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal to defect from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the opposition camp.
Buhari was reportedly favoured by the party to fly its presidential flag in 2015 while Amaechi was to be his running mate.
In deciding to dump the earlier speculated Buhari-Amaechi presidential ticket, leaders of the party were said to have weighed the consequences of each of the two politicians flying the party’s flag vis-à-vis what niche they are bringing to the APC.
“For Buhari, our honest assessment is that he remains a hard sell; especially in the middle belt and the entire south. This is about votes and not the noise we see many people make. Rivers state governor, who has some pluses also in our thinking, is a politician that we think can easily rock any boat once he cannot have his say and his way. So we felt we need to source for alternatives,” said a leading member of APC in the South- West last night.
The leader, who acknowledged that APC is currently embroiled in a crisis over control of the party’s structures in the states, quipped that “we are thinking of having Raji Fashola and somebody we are expecting to join us soon to pick the ticket. While Fashola will be the presidential running mate like we planned for Amaechi, the person we are expecting will become our presidential material in place of Buhari.”
Nigerian Pilot further learnt that Tambuwal was the expected new member of APC for whom the party has reserved the 2015 presidential ticket. If he defects to the APC, Tambuwal is expected to drop his Sokoto governorship bid which he has been nursing on the platform of the PDP for the APC shot at the presidential bid. The foregoing raised speculations that Tambuwal may have concluded plans to defect to APC soon.
It was reliably gathered that the Speaker’s plan was not unconnected with reports that more members of the House would decamp from the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP to the APC when the House returns from its Christmas and New Year break.
According to a source close to the Speaker, more than 15 more members of the House would be declaring for the APC thereby meeting the target of a simple majority to take over the leadership of the House.
His meeting with Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio last weekend in Uyo was to sound up the top PDP governor. But the latter’s counsel to Tambuwal was simple: “remain under the big PDP umbrella and stall defections to APC.”
It would be recalled that the All Progressive Congress has the highest number of members since 37 members from the PDP defected leaving PDP with 171 members against the APC’s 173 members.
Should the 15 members from the PDP move to the APC, the implication is that the current principal officers of the House from PDP would be dropped to pave way for principal officers from the APC.
It was further gathered that because Tambuwal does not want to lose his Speakership position, the option for him is to join the APC.
Although the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam dismissed the story as mere speculation, another aide to the Speaker did not only confirm the story but said that he would decamp alongside other members loyal to him.
“Yes, can confirm to you that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal will next Tuesday decamp to the APC when the House resumes sitting. This is authentic and I can also tell you that he is decamping with some other members of the House who are loyal to him”, the aide disclosed to Nigerian Pilot.
However, Imam Imam insisted that the story is not true saying: “You know my oga as he does his things, if such a big thing is happening he should have by now made it known to people like you. As far as I am concerned, I am hearing this from you and it is a mere speculation.”
Spokesman of APC, Lai Mohammed when contacted on this and other stories told Nigerian Pilot that “I won’t comment on it until you publish the story.”