EVEN as not less than half a dozen chieftain of the opposition PDP have signified their intention to seek the presidential ticket of the party, there are talks that some party leaders are of the opinion that the search for the 2019 flag-bearer of the party need to be extended beyond the party, if the PDP truly wishes to put its best foot forward in the forthcoming contest.
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator WalidJibrin, speaking recently, said the only thing that is certain today about the PDP’s search for a flag-bearer is that the candidate must come from the north. He added that the region has commenced the process of identifying credible candidates within and outside the party.
“We agreed that the president of Nigeria should come from the North. We are all doing what we can in the North with all the leaders to identify who is the best candidate to rule this country, the best person that will take away power from the ruling party because 2019 is our own; 2019 is for PDP. The return of former Vice President AtikuAbubakar to the party is a good omen for the PDP. We are also expecting a big return of some of our former governors, our National Assembly members and very renowned party followers.
And when this is done, which will be done very quickly, then the party will now come to its stable stand. We are, therefore, calling on the Senate President BukolaSaraki, Senator RabiuKwankwaso and all our former legislators who have left this party to come back quickly. We all will decide who will be the president of Nigeria, and we have set the machinery already,” he said.
With statements like this emanating daily from leading figures in the opposition party, pundits argue that the PDP may have its eyes on some politicians currently outside its folds to lead it in the electoral battle against Buhari and the ruling APC in 2019.Some names have been cropping up and the activities of some of these have also been indicative of a possible realignment of forces ahead of the next presidential election.
It is this development that have promoted talks about the possibility of a dark horse emerging from the blues, to snatch the presidential ticket of the opposition party from the group of known PDP presidential aspirants currently jostling for the ticket. Political observers have insisted that it is too early for anybody to conclude that the next presidential candidate of the party is already a chieftain of the party.
Kwankwaso
A former Governor of Kano State and Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is one man believed in many quarters to be on the radar of the opposition party ahead of the 2019 presidential election. A two-term governor and also Minister on the platform of the PDP, Kwankwaso, who dumped the PDP for APC in 2014, is no stranger to the politics of his former party.
It is instructive to note that he formerly flagged off his bid to contest the 2019 presidency during the week. He was in Anambra State last Thursday, where he met with the leadership of his group, the Kwankwaso Movement, and the Hausa community in the state. He pointedly asked for support to enable him achieve his presidential ambition. He noted that the first hurdle would be to emerge victorious in the primary election.
His words: “I am in this contest because I want to restore the lost glory of the country. I have come to see the people of the state and thank them for their support to me. The South-East region is important in this journey because we cannot do without them. Election is not a do-or- die and my successor, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who is opposing my ambition, should have a rethink and join me to better the welfare of Nigerians. The only hurdle before us is the primary election. I assure you, if I am able to win the primaries, winning the main election will not be difficult because I know I will win.”
Given the unending face-off between Kwankwaso and his successor in Kano, Governor Ganduje, and the fact that it may be difficult for him to rip the ticket off the grip of President Buhari in APC, not a few analysts are of the opinion that Kwankwaso may sooner or later yield to the incessant overtures from the PDP. This is largely the reason why he is prominently mentioned among the possible dark horses that may spring surprise in the PDP presidential race.
Should Kwankwaso heed the call from the PDP, he is seen as one aspirant who can give Buhari a run for his money in the north. Believed to have a wide political structure that saw him emerging as the runner up at the last APC presidential primary, Kwankwaso is being wooed by some northern leaders within and outside the PDP. What is left to be seen is whether he will abandon the APC for the PDP as 2019 beckons.
Tambuwal
Though Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state continue to play down his purported 2019 presidential ambition, his name continue to resonate among those APC chieftains being wooed by the opposition party to. At the height of the rumour of his presidential aspiration about a year ago, Tambuwal philosophically stated that “2019 is in the hands of God.”
He maintained that it was too early to talk about the future adding that his administration is focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
“We will discuss 2019 when 2019 is around the corner; it’s too early to be talking about that, I believe that we should face what we are facing now, that’s governance and the mandate given to us by the people of Sokoto State,” he said
Tambuwal recalled his experience at the National Assembly saying: “During the process of establishing the leadership of the National Assembly, some people came to threaten me that I may have interest in 2019, and if I do what I was doing, their group won’t support me. I told them, 2019 is in the hands of God, not in your hands, not in my hands. In any case, who is sure of getting to 2019?”
But not a few are ready to bet on the possibility of the Sokoto changing gear soon and joining the PDP especially if unconditionally offered the party’s presidential ticket. According to reliable party sources, Tambuwal remains one of the most recommended northerners in the race for the presidency within and outside the opposition party.
“Many respected Nigerians and interest groups are keen on the possibility of drafting Tambuwal into the presidential race. Of course, he is today an APC chieftain, but if he is convinced on the need for him to seek the presidency and it is obvious he will not get the APC ticket ahead of President Buhari, he may give returning to the PDP a thought. If that happens, he will emerge as an instant front runner in the race given his youthfulness and political pedigree,” our source said.
And some recent activities of the Sokoto governor speak volume of such possibilities. While he has maintained a low profile within the ruling party, he has been enjoying a close relationship with some of his colleague governors in the PDP. Recent visits by him to some PDP controlled state including Delta, have sent tongues wagging about what his 2019 plan could be.
Mark
Also from the northern zone, there is a subtle agitation, especially in the north central, with the likelihood of impacting on PDP’s search for a presidential candidate ahead of the 2019 presidential election. The agitators, mainly youth groups and civil society organizations with bases in Benue and Niger states and in Abuja, the federal capital territory, have been calling on former Senate President, David Mark, to contest the presidency.
Though some close sources claim the Benue-born retired General is interested in the plum job, it is still uncertain if he will finally make up his mind and seek his party’s presidential ticket in 2019. A chieftain of the opposition PDP, Mark, who struggled to get re-elected into the senate in 2015, has been largely unnoticeable, both in the national assembly and within the PDP in recent times.
Like Senator Kwankwaso, he has the financial muscle to kick-start a major campaign within PDP. But his been a christian northerner and hailing from the north central are factors pundits say may work against his candidacy should he try to muscle his way to the ticket. “It is unlikely that the core northerners will leave Buhari and vote for a christian northerner from Benue state in 2019,” a source said.