The North-West has been ruled out of the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary contest by a committee on consensus candidate set up by former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).It was gathered yesterday from a source close to the former leader in Minna that the committee in its report to IBB limited it to the North Central and North East for a likely new political order that is likely to shape the 2023 general elections.
It was gathered at the Weekend that the committee chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, received the responsibility about a fortnight ago and yesterday he led the four aspirants to IBB’s house after it was resolved based on the report that North-West should be ruled out of the contest.
It was learnt that the reason advanced was that for cohesion in the North, it is better any slot at presidential level for the North should be limited to the two zones.
“They recognised the fact that the incumbent president is from North-West and if the North must retain the presidency, it is fair that the North-Central or North-East should take it,” the source said.
This prompted the decision to ask the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwa and a former banker, Mohammed Hayatudeen, to drop their ambitions for a further consensus between Bukola Saraki and Mohammed Bala, the governor of Bauchi State.
Tambuwal had since disclaimed the decision, insisting he was not part of it and would not abide by the decision, adding that the decision was reached through a fraudulent means.
It was further learnt that they also gave the committee a further assignment on how to build former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s factor into the new arrangement and get in some southern PDP stakeholders into a likely synergy.
The source hinted that the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, equally met with Babangida shortly before the PDP aspirants and Ango Abdullahi came in.
However, how to approach Atiku had been a major concern as the 2007 northen cacus consensus candidate in Atiku then had flustered Babangida who was then in the race as he opened rejected it then alleging that Atiku secured it by subterfuge.
That decision created a gulf between Banangida and Atiku which was left to fester by the northern elders without any intervention to sooth the frosty relationship.
