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…will Buhari apply same last minute strategy which produced Adamu as chairman
…as Tinubu, Amaechi, Osinbajo, Uwajiuba, Fayemi, Umahi others slug it out today
…never in the history of Nig has a ruling party become so lilly livered not even the NPN
The stage is set for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to produce a presidential flag-bearer in next year’s general elections after several postponements to search for a credible candidate to slug it out with the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) in this brief analysis will take a look at the issues, and gladiators in the battle front line runners that could turn the tide in their favour.
The ruling party after playing the hide and seek game using all available weaponry as the ruling party pushing forward the INEC deadline to get the coast properly cleared after dilly dallying for a long time to put its house in order.
The last attempt was to ensure PDP produced its flag bearer which was concluded last week which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar a veteran presidential aspirant.
Now as it is, like the gold fish that has no hiding place, APC must produce a flag bearer in the next 48hours or forget about 2023 presidential election.
The body language of Buhari points to one direction which is a consensus candidate that will conveniently take over from him before he retires to his farm in Daura to tend his cows.
But the feelers reaching TNG as at late Sunday night is that no positive position has been taken despite several meetings without any fruitful development.
The screening committee led by former APC chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun had initially dropped ten names but within 24hours in its usual oscillating mode the party declared no aspirant was dropped insisting that all the 23 aspirants were eminently qualified to vie in the convention.
Buhari made a subtle appeal before travelling to Spain that the APC presidential aspirants and governors should allow him pick his successor but nay, nobody has blinked an eyelid.
The closest clue to what may transpire at the convention is the interview his media aide, Shehu Garba granted BBC Hausa service on Sunday morning where he denied his principal has not endorsed any zone but gave a clue offhandedly that Buhari may use the Adamu approach as very last minute strategy which produced a consensus APC chairman.
This came after nine APC governors threw their weight behind the emergence of a southern candidate in 2023.
In a statement, the nine governors declared that for justice to reign it will be fair for power to shift to the southern part of Nigeria after eight years of the North.
They begged all northern aspirants to pull out of the race and Sani Yerima humbly obliged.
But this development did not go down well with some northern elements who declared the northern governors traitors.
To this end in the last 48hours Buhari has been holding nocturnal meetings with all critical stakeholders as one meeting is ongoing at the presidential villa in the name of a dinner party now.
Buhari wants a successor he can point at to help salvage Nigeria, he has begged and he is still begging his resilient southern governors who are yet to bulge.
So far, the 22 aspirants are still standing waiting for Buhari’s final whistle to signal that the game is over but nobody has bulged.
If there is going to be no consensus candidate, the battle is going to be among the five major contestants that have remained consistent so far and with enough structure on ground.
The contestants are: Former Governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has traversed the entire federation in search of delegates. If a consensus candidate does not emerge today, he has all it takes to surprise Buhari’s cabal.
He has a national spread with a massive war chest that can upstage any political contest in Nigeria.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is Tinubu’s former Attorney General, his former aide who now has a very covert spread that could upstage his former principal. He has no structure on ground but he fervently believes in miracles. He might just get it.
Emeka Uwajiuba, a former lawmaker, a former Minister of State, Education, seen by many as Buhari’s secret political godson from the South Eastern part of Nigeria could surprise Nigerians by emerging flag bearer.
There’s something unusual about the young minister. He was the first to pay N100m and the first minister to quit office. He’s so confident. This confidence makes him the unusual one among the lot.
Rotimi Chuibuike Amaechi: Flamboyant and courageous. A lion in his domain that knows how to run his own show is another secret political godson of Buhari.
If for nothing, the fact that he gave his all to support Buhari in his trying times makes him a most likely rallying point to be Buhari’s game changer.
As a former Minister, former Governor of oil rich Rivers State, Amaechi can match any contestant, foot for foot, cash for cash, politics for politics today.
Dave Umahi: The Ebonyi governor will work hand in hand with the northern chosen candidate, Senate President Ahmad Lawan to look for VP position today. This is not impossible.
The APC according to a very senior lecturer and a lawmaker of note (name witheld) simply told TNG that in the history of Nigeria, no party has been so lilly livered like the APC not even the NPN of the 80s and that is a sign of gross incompetence as Nigerians wait for Buhari’s annointed political godson from any part of Nigeria.