By Suleiman Umaru
When President Muhammadu BuBuhari, was giving the approval to the political appointees who had presidential ambition in the 2023, general elections , on the ticket of the ticket of the All Progressive Congress, APC, he had kept a closely guided secret his favourite Candidate to avoid being killed.
From Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state, and the APC, National Leader, Dave Umahi, governor of Eboyi state, Rochas Okorocha, a former governornor of Imo state, Rotimi Amaechi , a former Rivers state and minister of Transportation, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Nigerian Vice President to Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman , Nigerian governornor’s Forum, NGF, the story was the same: given Presidential approval to contest the 2023, Presidential election on the ticket of the APC.
He was said to have wooed Professor Benedict Ayade, governor of Cross river state and some otherunknown aspirants out of the 25, who were said to have paid the N100 million APC, presidential nomination Forms by themselves or by shadowy groups. Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President from the north east geo-political region comprising of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe has never been mentioned in political circles as being interested in contesting the 2023 general elections on the ticket of the APC.
His name became manifest with the selling of the Sale of the Presidential nomination forms as he was said to to have paid the N100 million to purchase the forms to contest the 2023 general elections on the ticket of APC. This may have forced Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia state, and a serving Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has been known to him for the past 41 years to step down for his Presidential ambition to work for his emergence as the next President of Nigeria after Buhari in 2023.
Signs that that the Presidency may have adopted him began to manifest on Wednesday May 11, 2022, after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting when the Nigerian President had asked all the political appointees:ministers ambassadors, heads of Parastatals and Departments to resign. He was said to have given them Monday, Monday, May 16, as the last day to submit their resignation letters.
Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, had said that all the ministers and other political appointees would resign. On Friday, May 13, he had said that some of the ministers had resigned but some were in the process of resigning. Among those that were said to have resigned but quickly withdrew their resignation letters to return to the Cabinet were Chris Ngige, minister of Labour and Employment, Paullien tallen, minister of Women Affairs, Abubakar Malami, minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federal of the Federation who had paid the N50 million to purchase the governorship nomination forms for Kebbi state but failed to resign from his ministerial position. The duo. Tallen and Malami, may have been accepted back fully into the Cabinet, they had attended the FEC, meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, chaired by Buhari.
Amaechi, Dan Amanar Daura, which means the trustworthy son of Daura, the minister of Transportation, who may have been promised by the power brokers in the north that he would get the APC Presidential ticket last February, after being conferred with the Chieftaincy title by Umar Farouq , Emir of Daura, may have read the handwriting on the wall that he will not get the APC ticket to contest the 2023 general elections as he was said to have resigned officially from his ministerial position to pursue his presidential ambition . He may have known that the beating of the drum has changed when Senator Kulu became the mouth piece of Senator Lawan to be the APC Presidential Candidate of the AAPC, in the 2023 general elections.
Kalu, Senate Chief Whip, who has been campaigning over the last couple of months that if the office of Nigerian President could not be zoned by ruling APC to the south east, in the upcoming 2023 general elections , it should be zoned go to the north east. He appears to have won the support of the Presidency which may have thrown their weight behind Lawan, the Senate president, who incidentally is from the region and who has paid the N100 million, APC Presidential nomination fees to purchase the nomination forms. The south east Senator may have championed the course of the two regions because since the return of Democracy in 1999, only the south west, the north west, and the south –south, have at one time or the other produced the President of Nigerian while the south east, north central and north east, have been left out.
As a prelude to ensuring that Lawan wins the APC Primaries on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, which he may not have stated clearly, the Senate Chief Whip, had said that nine Presidential aspirants of the APC, who had paid the N100 million APC, Presidential fee and purchased the Presidential nomination forms to participate in the party primary elections have agreed to step down +
\for the Senate President who is vying for the Presidency to take over from Buhari after the 2023, general elections.
The Abia satte former governor, may have gladdened the heart of the people of the north east when he disclosed that he has spoken to the nine Presidential aspirants whose names remained a closely guided secret gunning to become President of Nigeria and who have agreed step down and support the Senate President to grab the APC Presidential ticket because of his strong Leadership qualities , which have been exemplified in the Senate over the last seven years and which could be replicated in the whole Nigeria if given the opportunity to do so.
There are indications that each of the nine APC Presidential aspirants who had paid the N100 million to purchase the party Presidential nomination forms has planned to meet the south east state of Borno Presidential aspirant who may likely emerge the APC Presidential Candidate in the 2023, general elections face to face soon. Kalu, the former governor of Abia state who is bringing the parties together had said that what ‘’the negotiations and demands of the nine Presidential aspirants would be like he cannot tell about it’’.
But he has ruled out the Senate President refunding the nine Presidential aspirants the N100milion which each one of them had paid to purchase the party Presidential nomination forms. ‘’nobody is refunding any money to anyone’, he had said.
In spite of Pressure by the Political Parties on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to shift the gold post for the 2023, general elections to enable the parties effectively prepare for their Conventions and Primaries to which the Commission had turned down, the ruling APC, appears to have sent a message to all its aspirants contesting for the states House of Assembly, governorship, House of Representatives to the office of the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that the party activities for the 2023, general elections would hold as earlier scheduled
Felix Morka, the APC, National Publicity Secretary, had said that Nigerians would know its Presidential Candidate, whether from the north west , north east , south west or south east on June ,1st, 2022. For now, the screening Committees for House of Assembly aspirants across the states of the Federation have been inaugurated. This is coming, according to party sources about two weeks before the conduct of the party primary elections slated for May 30, 2022, ahead of the 2023, general elections.
For the Presidency, as at the last count , no fewer than 25 aspirants including Lawan, the Senate President, from the north East who had paid the N100 million Presidential nomination fees are facing the party screening Committee which would qualify them for the primaries if they scale through the hurdle.
The entry of lawan into the APC pResidential race appears to have become a problem for Asiwaju Ahmed Bola, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and APC, National Leader, who may believe has the south west states of Lagos, Oyo, Osun and Odo, under his control. Ekiti state delegate delegates may not likely support him but rather throw their weight behind Kayode Fayemi, the state governor and also one of the party Presidential aspirants. The situation may not be different from Ogun, where the delegates may want to throw their weight behind yemi Osinbajo, a former political Tinubu political ally and the Vice President, who has the support of the power brokers from the north to contest for the 2023 Presidency on the ticket of the APC.
Recall that Senator Kalu had said that ‘’any southerner that is not from the south east and is coming ‘’to run for the Presidency on the ticket of the APC, in the 2023, general elections is a betrayer’’. He may have alluded to Amaechi, a minister of Transportation, who has resigned his ministerial position and A Emmanuel udom, governor of Akwa Ibom sate and Ayade governor of Cross river state.
While the ruling APC and the Opposition People’s Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, are still struggling to sought out the issue of their Presidential Candidates for the 2023, general elections, that Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state who had decamped from the PDP, to the relatively unknown New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP,, which had been in existence some 20 years but actually came into existence two years ago , had already clinched its Presidential Ticket to contest the 2023, general elections, Buba Galadima, Buhari former political ally, had said that knowing what Nigerian politics is like, Kwankwaso is the ext Nigeria President after Buhari in 2023.
