INSIDE PDP PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS’ CAMPS

By: Jumoke Olasoji

As the search for the presidential candidate of the opposition party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gathers more steam, we bring to you the behind-the-scene discoveries in the camps of the leading aspirants for the party’s ticket.

The race for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party is gathering momentum with the declaration of the immediate past National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Until recently, the aspiration of the two has been a matter of debate. Now that they have formally made their interests known and have moved into the field to contest for support, it is observed that all the other aspirants have, as a result, also upped their game. The behind-the-scene negotiations and consultations have been intense in the last two weeks.

Dankwambo

Though the Gombe State Governor’s presidential ambition started on a low key with very few people seeing him as a serious contender, even for the presidential ticket of the opposition PDP, not to talk of winning the general election in 2019, his political camp today is a beehive of activities across the country as pundits say he has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the PDP ticket.

To underscore the seriousness attached to the presidential race by his team, the Dankwambo Presidential Project has been opening state chapters across the country to further take the message to Nigerians. It inaugurated the Enugu State chapter few weeks back. National Coordinator of the group, Deacon Zach Okoronkwo, speaking at the event, said “what we are saying is that right now, there is failure in governance. We need a real alternative and we have found one. What we are focusing on now is good governance.”

Dankwambo’s growing visibility in the race, reliable party sources said, may not be unconnected with the uncertainties that now shroud the likely decision of PDP governors on the choice of the party’s eventual presidential candidate. It is gathered that currently, the governors are still unable to reach an agreement on who, among the aspirants currently seeking the ticket, best suits the job of defeating APC and President Muhammadu Buhari.

Furthermore, Contrary to initial assumptions that Dankwambo will find it difficult to convince his fellow governors to back his aspiration, there are indications that the Gombe State Governor may have succeeded in winning to his side some of his colleagues. Recently, it was rumored that the PDP Governors’ Forum was set to endorse him. Though the endorsement never took place, the story is yet to be officially refuted till date.

“Dankwambo is one of those looking good in the race to the presidential ticket of our party. He may not come across to many analysts as a leading aspirant, but from feelers within the party, and considering many factors, the young man may just be the surprise candidate Nigerians are not talking about yet. And to his credit, he is taking his aspiration to rule Nigeria very seriously.

“Unlike some other aspirants, he is not waiting for some people to endorse him. His team is all over the place seeking the cooperation of party chieftains and chapters. Recently, he was here personally with his people to talk to us. He is not a stranger to us in PDP and we know what he has done as governor for eight years. Within the party, he has contributed immensely to PDP,” a chieftain of the party from Oyo state, said.

Associates and aides of the governor also claimed that the choice of Dankwambo is now being supported by many serving and former PDP governors, ministers and other bigwigs who see in him the combination of competence and capacity. They claimed the decision of the party to field its very best candidate against Buhari is working in favour of the Gombe state helmsman.

Chief Raphael Ukauku, a politician from Abia State, collaborated this claim when he said, during the week, that “Governor Dankwambo has made great impression as PDP’s likely choice to contest against Buhari. From what we hear of him and the accomplishments that have been associated to him, he is an achiever. As you know, he is also fresh and young. That seems to be part of the advantages he is enjoying against all the other aspirants. Nigerians are eager to see real change and I think Dankwambo for presidency suggests that change.”

Atiku

Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, according to sources within his campaign team, recently received some soothing assurances from some leading chieftains and groups within the opposition party concerning his 2019 presidential ambition. This, as gathered, is responsible for the upsurge of activities in his campaign efforts of recent. Atiku, as part of efforts to buoy his aspiration, is currently on a nationwide tour to propagate his ambition.

According to a close female aide of the former Vice President from Taraba State, Atiku is optimistic of clinching the ticket of the opposition PDP. He is more determined than before to help the PDP return to power and he now has the support of those that matter within the party. Before now, there were clouds of uncertainty over the chances of the former APC chieftain in the race for the PDP presidential ticket.

Talks about some forces being opposed to his clinching the ticket largely because he newly returned to the PDP after dumping the party and helping the APC to displace it from the presidency in 2015, had reportedly worried his team and kept activities at the lowest ebb for sometimes until recently when Atiku officially declared his presidential ambition and kicked off the tour.

One of Atiku’s latest supporters, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, representing Bayelsa East, has hailed him as the choice to get the country working again. Atiku has also announced former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as the Director-General of his campaign amidst talks that he has also enlisted the support of both Senator Buruji Kashamu and Hon. Ladi Adebutu to deliver the delegate votes from Ogun State and propagate his ambition across the Southwest.

Reliable sources also claimed there had been talks between Atiku’s camp and Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State on a possible working relationship between the two aspirants. Fayose, as gathered, may be eyeing the Vice Presidential slot in an arrangement that will see him work for the emergence of Atiku as the flag-bearer of the PDP in 2019.

Atiku, who had met most of the PDP governors to discuss his ambition, according to close aides of his, is also holding talks with some northern groups and elders with a view to enlisting their support against Buhari and the APC across the north. “Talking about PDP being serious about defeating APC in 2019, everybody within the party now know it is only Atiku that can make that happen and we are sure they will give us the ticket to send APC packing from Aso Rock,” a source said.

In the Southeast, sources said the former Vice President has been reaching out to his old supporters, even as insiders said he is probably the most popular and acceptable aspirant. “Atiku is well accepted here because of his pedigree and what he did when he was in power as vice-president but the issue of who should be the vice presidential candidate has remained a thorny issue. Here in the Southeast, it would be difficult to contemplate not presenting the vice presidential candidate in 2019. That is the issue both Atiku and the other aspirants are still battling with here,” a source from Enugu State said. We learnt, most of the aspirants are dodging the topic and as a result, some stakeholders are also being careful before making commitments.

Datti Baba-Ahmed

Last April, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed officially expressed his intention to contest in the forthcoming 2019 Presidential Election on the platform of the opposition PDP. The 48 year-old ex-lawmaker, according to a statement signed by the Chairman of the Datti Baba-Ahmed Campaign Media Committee, Ibrahim Biu, wants the ticket of the PDP and is ready to contest with others for it.

“Senator Datti Baba Ahmed’s (DBA) political journey started when he was first elected in April 2003 to the Federal House of Representatives for the Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna State. He ran on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). In the April 2011 elections, Baba-Ahmed polled 366,398 votes in the contest to represent Kaduna North Senatorial District, beating his closest rival, Senator Ahmed Makarfi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the incumbent, who polled 365,043 votes.

“At the age of 41, he had worked for the Security Printing and Minting company in Lagos, obtained two different Masters degrees and a PhD, served as elected Hon. Representative, Distinguished Senator, and established one of the top ranking private universities with two other companies which employ over 600 people drawn from every state in the country,” Biu said while selling the candidacy of Baba-Ahmed to reporters back then.

But aside the announcement and a few visits to party chieftains in Abuja, nothing much has been heard about the aspirant’s strategy towards clinching the ticket of the opposition party ahead of more established political names like Abubakar Atiku, Sule Lamido, Dankwambo and others. Not much is also known about the people supporting his ambition within and outside the PDP.

His ambition also suffered a serious setback few days ago with the defection of one of his most visible supporters, Chief Mrs. Remi Adiukwu, to the ruling APC. The leading female politician has been Baba-Ahmed’s most visible supporter in the southern part of the country. But all that ended last Tuesday as she ceremoniously announced her return to the APC, citing the unserious approach of the PDP to leadership and politics.

But former Commissioner for Environment in Enugu State, Mr. Chijioke Agu, insists Baba-Ahmed is still in the race to win. According to the politician, the young presidential aspirant should be supported largely because of his sound leadership qualities in private and public sectors. He added that he is optimistic that an aspirant with sound leadership qualities would not be ignored by a nation genuinely craving for growth and development.

Engr. Okechukwu Onwuama, a youth activist in Owerri, Imo State, also said Baba-Ahmed’s candidacy will likely attract the support of the youths. “As a young man, he is one of the aspirants we are interested in although, we know very little about him,” he said, adding that some of the so-called established candidates would be disappointed by the actions of the youths in the coming elections.

Makarfi

After months of speculations about his rumored presidential ambition, former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, finally threw his hat into the ring of the contest for Nigeria’s presidency in 2019. The immediate past National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP made the disclosure while fielding questions from journalists in Kaduna last Sunday.

But reliable party sources say Makarfi’s first official declaration of his presidential ambition is coming at a time his support base within the party has been seriously weakened by events and some crucial factors. Few months back, the ex-governor was the undisputed front-line aspirant for the PDP ticket given what was then a consensus among majority of the party’s governors to support him for the ticket.

“But the situation is no longer the same and Makarfi knows too. He has done a lot of underground consultations before declaring his aspiration publicly. He is aware of the change in the situation and he is not a politician you can underrate. If he says he is still in the race, then it simply means that he has added up all the facts and figures and he is ready to give it a fight"

Makarfi also confirmed to reporters that he consulted widely before arriving at the decision though he had not received endorsement from party members. He however added that the consultation gave him an opportunity to feel the pulse of Nigerians. Aides close to the former party boss revealed that he will be banking on the many connections and contacts he made across the country as party leader to win the PDP presidential ticket.

“The consultations have been quite positive and I believe it is fair enough to come to the conclusion that one should join other equally capable party men and women who have shown interest in seeking the party’s nomination for the 2019 presidential election. At this stage, it is to seek for the party’s nomination. The successful nominees will become the candidates that will stand for the election. If one’s party does not put him forward, you can’t say you are contesting for presidency yet,” he said.

It's also learnt that the former Governor’s camp will, in a matter of days, announce his campaign team which may be headed by a former governor from the eastern part of the country. “We are putting finishing touches, not just to the campaign team list, but to a whole lot of other things and modalities, before we launch out fully. And when we do, there will be no stopping this train,” an ex-Minister from Osun State, who is part of the team, said.

Already, the PDP in Nasarawa State had pledged to back Makarfi to pick the 2019 ticket of the party. Hon. Francis Orogu, Chairman of the party in the state, said this at the state’s party secretariat when Makarfi visited the party. Orogu said the former governor of Kaduna State deserved their support based on the role he played in, according to him, making the party formidable.

Explaining why he wants to be the president, Makarfi says in an interview: “For me, I have known governance for sometimes at state level. I served Kaduna for three years as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning. I came in from the private sector. I have private sector experience, especially banking. I governed this complex state for eight years. I have legislative experience, having been in the Senate for a two term of eight years. I got a bonanza when the party leadership fell on my laps, to know about managing political party. If you cannot manage your party, even if you are elected, you will have problems governing. If you can’t manage the legislature and build cordial relationship such that key legislations that can take this country forward are passed, then governance becomes complex for you. If you cannot manage complex society such as Kaduna, which is a mini Nigeria, you cannot manage Nigeria. God has so designed that one has passed through all these processes.

These, to me, are advantages but of course it does not mean that it is a forgone conclusion. Somebody who may have not prepared himself in governance at all may find himself in government but the country will pay a price for that. I believe I have these advantages. Others may have their own advantage but at the end of the day, the people will decide,” he said.

Lamido

Former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who was the first chieftain of the PDP to declare his interest in the 2019 presidential ticket of the party, has always made it clear that he was not desperate for the position of Nigeria’s president in the 2019 General Elections. This declaration seems to be guiding the pace of his efforts towards securing the PDP ticket ahead of the polls.

The former minister, according to close aides, though hopeful that he will get the PDP ticket, is also not oblivious of the firm hold on the party by a clique, and he has complained bitterly about this. “He wants to run and he can only run on the platform of the PDP. Defection to any other party is not on the card for him. But he is worried that some people within the party will not allow for a free and fair process.

“This is largely his only concern for now. And that is having effect on his campaign as he is currently working with others to ensure a level playing field. It is only when we are sure that the process will not be skewed in the favour of any particular aspirants that we can say we are ready to go all the way,” an aide to the former governor said while explaining the lull in political activities within the aspirant’s camp.

The increased tempo in the camps of the five aspirants is a sign of the things to come before the primary election.

(Thenationonlineng)