President Muhammadu Buhari may emerge as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) unopposed, however, the race for the ticket of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be keenly contested.
As the cloud for the 2019 presidential race in Nigeria thickens, some influential aspirants have declared their interest for the plum job especially in the opposition parties. For the PDP, some people have already made their intentions known such as the former Chairman Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Sen. Ahmed Markafi, Governor Ibrahim Dankwanbo of Gombe State, Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, among yet to be declared aspirants.
In the end, only one aspirant will emerge as candidate of the party. From all indications the 2019 presidential race is a northern affair. There is a feeling in the major political parties that the North is entitled to two terms in office. This stems from the fact that the last president before Buhari who was from the North did not complete his tenure. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was sworn in on May 29, 2007 but was not able to complete his four year term. He died in 2009 after a protracted illness.
That period was filled with political intrigues in an out of Aso Rock, the seat of power in Nigeria. Goodluck Jonathan who was the Vice President was sworn in as acting president to complete the term of Yar’Adua. In 2011, the powers that be from the North expected Jonathan to respect the “gentleman agreement” of the PDP by stepping aside for a northern candidate. That never happened.
Jonathan who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces knew that it was his constitutional right to seek for a second term in office. And he did.
General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who were presidential aspirants under the PDP, saw the zoning principle as an opportunity for them to move in and fulfill their political ambitions. While the northerners were scheming, Jonathan declared his intention for a second term. He also had the backing of a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Jonathan’s declaration meant that the northerners had to devise a means to defeat Jonathan at the primaries. As a result, the idea of a northern consensus candidate was born.
In that regard, Atiku outsmarted Babangida by getting the northern leaders to endorse him as the consensus candidate from the North to contest the primaries with Jonathan.
Jonathan defeated Atiku hands down at the primaries and went ahead to defeat the Congress for Progress Change (CPC)candidate, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari and All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate, Ibrahmi Shekarau to emerge president.
This time around, the PDP is not in power. All aspirants so far are from the North. A party source said Lamido, Dankwambo and Atiku are the main contenders, pending when another heavy weight joins the race. As it stands, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is still an official member of the APC. Although his body language of recent shows that he may leave the party soon. It’s believed that if Kwankwaso leaves the APC for PDP and joins the race for the presidential ticket, he would be considered as one of the major challengers.
Lamido is believed to be Obasanjo’s candidate. He hast vast experience and is not just in it to negotiate. He is a serious contender.
For Markafi, his stewardship in the party during the time of crises cannot be questioned. He was able to wrestle the party from the hands of a former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who hijacked it. Many within the party feel he should play the role of an umpire.
Governor Dankwanbo has one of the loudest campaigns on social media. His works are being lauded by his men on social media platforms. He is also believed to be an influential member of the party who may likely emerge as the candidate.
Of all the aspirants, Atiku Abubakar, has held the highest office holder in the country. He was Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 – 2007. As a result of that, he has wide contacts, and so far remains the most popular aspirant. What he has going for him is that aside from the north, he is also well accepted in the Southern parts of the country.
According to political analysts, the PDP is ready to use one stone to kill two birds. They are searching for an aspirant with visibility, vision, mass appeal and competence.
A former chairman of the Kogi State chapter of the PDP, Chief John Odawun, is of the view that the party should field an aspirant with national appeal.
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In a telephone chat with The Next Edition, he said, “At this juncture, we have to field the most popular aspirant if we are serious about defeating the APC. We all need to come together and choose who is best for the party and Nigerians. They are all qualified to run. No doubt. But who has the clout to stand against Buhari out of all of them? That is what we should look at.”
