Daily Independent (Lagos)
Emma Chukwuanukwu, Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Chesa Chesa and Augustine Madu-West
6 July 2009
Feelers emerged at the weekend about underground plots by some ranking politicians from the north who want to join the race for the presidency come 2011.
President Umaru Yar'adua is believed to be seriously warming up for re-election in 2011despite growing opposition against his continued stay in office due to the state of his health.
The politicians believed to be consulting widely are some governors (serving and former), most of them currently in the senate.
Former Kaduna State governor, senator Mohammed Markafi, former Kebbi State governor who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, senator Adamu Aliero, former Zamfara State governor, Ahmed Sani and Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shakarau are among those said to be nursing presidential ambition.
Though some of the former governors have denied the claim, Sunday Independent sources said they have been consulting widely with politicians and associates from both their geo-political zone and other zones to weigh the option.
Although majority of the politicians come from the North West area of the country, one of them, a sitting governor, is believed to have gone far in his consultations and was said not to be relenting in his efforts regarding his presidential ambition.
According to our source, the governor who is serving his last term of eight years had already got in touch with the political camp of late vice presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Chuba Okadigbo for support.
He was said to be in touch with the widow of the celebrated and flamboyant late politician.
A member of the Okadigbo camp confirmed to this newspaper during the week that they are weighing the options as presented by the governor.
When contacted, Senator Sani (popularly called Yerima, ANPP, Zamfara) said: "The future belongs to Allah. Right now, I have the mandate of the people of Zamfara West and my brother, President Umaru Yar'Adua from the North West is currently occupying the office and we must join hands to ensure that he succeeds."
On his part, Senator Mohammed Makarfi (PDP, Kaduna) denied nursing any such ambition for 2011.
"There's nothing of such. There is no substance in it. There's nothing like that," said he.
Aliero also spoke through his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Abdullahi Idris Zuru.
"Wherever you heard this from, it is the handiwork of people who want to create conflict between the minister and Mr. President for the simple reason that the President has absolute confidence in the minister to assist him in the task of good governance and effective service delivery to Nigerians. This is just the reason why some people create this kind of rumour and are spreading it.
"What the FCT minister is presently occupied with and is seriously committed to is first, the success of President Umaru Yar'Adua's administration by a very successful implementation of the Seven-Point Agenda. Second is the return of Yar'Adua as the President of Nigeria in 2011.
"These are his major pre-occupations for now. He is totally committed to ensuring these two things. Any other thing is rumour and attempt by unscrupulous people to create confusion intended to serve their selfish interest."
Aliero's explanation that he is rather committed to Yar'Adua's second term project however corroborates insinuations that the PDP hierarchy had constituted a think tank headed by a prominent South South politician and one time minister of works to coordinate the efforts that would culminate in the nomination of Yar'Adua as the flag bearer of the PDP for 2011 election. The politician who has been "fixing things" for the PDP since 1999, sources said, was chosen as the most competent of all his contemporaries to checkmate the interest of other presidential aspirants from the north in the party.
Some PDP chieftains see the effort to secure another ticket for Yar'Adua as an attempt to slight some bigwigs in the party who are believed to be disposed towards other presidential candidates for 2011.
But the political climate of Kano and beyond is thick with the future political ambition of Shekarau, whose second term as governor of Kano State terminates 2011.
Although he is yet to make an official comment on his next move, insinuations are rife that the man who has also broken the Kano political jinx by being the first governor to secure a second mandate in the state is in the race for the presidency.
Sunday Independent confirmed that in apparent preparation for the presidential race, he has been crisscrossing the nation's geo-political zones for wide consultations designed to test his popularity and acceptability.
Sule Ya'u Sule, Shekarau's Director of Publicity and Public Relations told our correspondent on Friday that his boss is under intense pressure from friends, political associates and well wishers, including some big names in his party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to contest the forthcoming presidential elections.
"The governor has been consulting widely," Sule said, adding "this is in response to mounting pressure from his friends and associates across the nation to be part of the race.
It is a known fact that the governor, whose tenure would end 2011 is being pressured to be part of the presidential election of the next dispensation and he is taking his time before making any public statement along that line," he said.
Sule stated further that the issue has taken the governor to the East, South West and the Northern parts of the country, where he had held consultations on the issue, pointing out that at the end he would be in a better position to take a decision. "If eventually the governor favours the clamour for his presidential candidacy, it has to be on the platform of the ANPP, the platform that gave him the mandate in 2003 and 2007," he said.
He declined to name specifically those the governor had met over the project, noting that it would be too early to begin to mention names. "All I can admit is that there have been pressures from different quarters across the country wooing him for the race," his aide said, adding that "many, especially in the political class, see Shekarau as a role model and one capable of moving the country forward, if given the opportunity."
On report that he had met with the family of the late political icon and former Senate president, Okadigbo for the purpose of inheriting the political structure Sule said: "I won't want to go into all that for now, but one assurance I am giving is that very soon the governor will speak to the people on his future political ambition"
Shekarau had earlier ruled out interest in the 2011 presidential race, saying consistently that he had not expressed any such interest with any one, including his immediate family and party members. He also spoke through Sule.
He had said: "If the people decide he should contest for the Presidency and the party believes that he is better to run for the nation's highest political office, why not.
"As an obedient servant, and one loved by his people, Malam is always at their service and will not hesitate to run for any office they so desire, even if it is the office of a Local Government Chairman."
However, he was quick to point out that the governor does not intend to quit partisan politics at the end of his tenure.
Meanwhile, Vice President of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, senator Joseph Waku has said President Yar'Adua is not threatened by the number of Northern governors and politicians who have indicated interest to run against him in the 2011.
Waku, former senator from Benue State told Sunday Independent in a telephone interview on Friday that those who are coming out for the presidency will have their popularity tested when the time comes for the party's national convention to elect its flag-bearers.
His words: "They are entitled to their opinion. They are entitled to run for the presidency if they so desire. The president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is also a democrat who knows the democratic proceedings, who came out of a democratic home, a product of our democracy and a true democrat. And he is aware that in a true democratic setting you cannot stop anybody's ambition.
"But how far such ambition can go is the question one can ask. Whoever is expressing his ambition, his wish to run for presidency in 2011 is welcome. But at the convention, they will know whether they have the support of the majority or the god-fatherism that is pushing them will be ashamed, that's all. We are not bothered. Let them come out. The more the merrier."
On whether the politicians sought blessings from the ACF before declaring their intentions, Waku said they are not bound to do so.
"They don't have to come to the Arewa Consultative Forum for blessing because we are not partisan. We bless anybody that comes because all of them are our children. What we do not support is for them to fight."
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