…as IBB, others move to reconcile ex-VP with OBJ
- ‘Opposition mops up N50bn to track PVC holders’
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar may have finally resolved to call it quits with the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, following indications that the PDP Governors’ Forum, which appears to have hijacked the party, may deny him the presidential ticket.
Atiku defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress in December last year, and returned to his old party, the PDP, where he hoped to realise his presidential ambition.
But The Point reliably gathered from Atiku’s loyalists in his Adamawa home-state that things might not be going exactly as planned, as gestures from the PDP governors, especially Rivers’ Nyesome Wike, indicated that he could lose at the party’s presidential primary election.
Atiku may have, therefore, reportedly resolved to cross over to a more promising party, most likely the recently rejuvenated Social Democratic Party, to actualise his ambition, according to findings.
SDP may be the last resort for Atiku if some of those governors still want to play god and deny him the presidential ticket through manipulation and inducement of delegates. But we are working on some of the governors and on some would-be delegates in states where PDP is not in control, in the hope that all things will work out well
Reliable sources within his camp hinted that he had reached out to the party’s National Chairman, Chief Olu Falae, and other leaders of the party.
A top member of the Atiku Support Group, who would not want his name disclosed, said, “Wike is particularly not interested in an Atiku candidature, as he is rooting for the emergence of a PDP governor as the party’s presidential candidate. And from what we know, the Rivers’ governor, who owns 80 per cent of the party’s National Working Committee, beginning with the Chairman, also wants his trusted loyalist as presidential candidate.
“He knows that Atiku cannot be caged; he is independent-minded and is an experienced politician, so he is taking all steps to frustrate his presidential ambition.”
Findings by The Point, however, revealed that the Wike-caucus of the PDP Governors’ Forum had a soft spot for Ibrahim Damkwambo of Gombe State, who they intend to tip for the presidential race on the ground that he is young and most likely to appeal to the youths. Damkwambo is 56 years old.
A former PDP governorship candidate in one of the South-West states, who is Atiku’s political godson, had disclosed to our correspondent that he particularly advised Atiku to formally declare his presidential ambition in Wike’s Rivers, having realised that “the Rivers governor has pocketed the party.”
On the rumoured defection plan, he said, “SDP may be the last resort for Atiku if some of those governors still want to play god and deny him the presidential ticket through manipulation and inducement of delegates. But we are working on some of the governors and on some would-be delegates in states where PDP is not in control, in the hope that all things will work out well.
“But I must not deceive you, we are running out of time in this effort.”
Atiku had, on March 27, declared his presidential ambition, while addressing stakeholders of the PDP, drawn from the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
The former VP said he decided to announce his intention in Rivers State because of Governor Wike, who he described as “the life of the PDP”.
He noted that Wike reminded him of what he (Atiku) represented in 1998/99: a veiled reference to how important he was to the formation of the PDP way back in 1998.
But having praised Wike to high heavens on the occasion, analysts noted that the governor’s response that “the like of the former Vice President Atiku in PDP gives hope that this party will come back to power in 2019” was not anything close to the endorsement of his presidential candidature.
Wike is particularly not interested in an Atiku candidature, as he is rooting for the emergence of a PDP governor as the party’s presidential candidate. And from what we know, the Rivers’ governor, who owns 80 per cent of the party’s National Working Committee, beginning with the Chairman, also wants his trusted loyalist as presidential candidate
EX-VP AND ADAMAWA SDP
Meanwhile, as a prelude to his rumoured planned defection to the SDP, Atiku has reportedly rattled, by proxy, the leadership of the state chapter of the party in his Adamawa home-state, with an alleged goal of planting his loyalists as the party’s state executive committee members.
The ex-VP is said to be relying on the political acumen of his godson, Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State, whose days are also numbered in the APC, according to a reliable source.
Already, the crisis rocking the Adamawa State chapter of the party has streamed to the SDP, as the state’s party Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Bebetu, was at the weekend, suspended over his alleged loyalty to Governor Bindow.
A source in the party said that Bindow had opted for the SDP platform as proxy for what he called the dual purpose of the eventual defection of Atiku and the realisation of his second term ambition.
It was learnt that some of the APC bigwigs in the state had been ganging up against the governor as a result of his loyalty to Atiku.
A chieftain of the SDP in Adamawa State, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, had accused the state chairman of the party of working for Bindow and creating grounds to make him emerge as the party’s governorship candidate in 2019.
The latest SDP crisis, some political observers say, is the handiwork of Atiku and Bindow as they intend to hijack the party structure before their eventual defection.
A statement by the National Deputy Secretary of the party, Mr. Simon Adesina, made available to newsmen in Yola, had accused Bebetu of “gross disrespect to constituted authority of the party and making an unauthorised public announcement cancelling a rally in Yola, which has caused embarrassment to the national leadership of the party.”
The statement said the state Vice-Chairman, Mr. Danjuma Chikale, was now the acting state Chairman, pending investigation into the crisis rocking the party.
When contacted on the suspension, Bebetu said he was not aware of any letter of suspension.
“Yesterday I attended an SDP meeting in Abuja; I am not aware of any suspension letter. I can’t comment any further on the issue because I did not hear it and did not see it (letter),” Bebetu said.
It was learnt that the battle of wits in the party was only a prelude to its final hijack by the Atiku group as Bebetu, its arrowhead, is bound to return as party chairman.
It was also gathered that there is a running battle between Bebetu and a governorship aspirant, Chief Emmanuel Bello. Sources said this was predicated on the suspicion that Bebetu was working to make Bindow emerge as the governorship candidate of the party.
But Bebetu, in an interview with our correspondent, denied working for the duo of Atiku and Bindow to hijack the party. Instead, he said the crisis erupted when Bello accused him of collecting a N30million inducement from Governor Bindow, an allegation he described as false.
Meanwhile, the immediate past APC State Organising Secretary and a staunch loyalist of Governor Bindow, Mr. Ahmed Lawan, has debunked the rumoured defection moves by Bindow from the APC to the SDP as “laughable”.
He said, “The governor is among President Buhari’s very few die-hard supporters; as such, the governor, by no means, will abandon the APC for anything in the first place.
“As regards the SDP crisis, they should distance the amiable governor from their ‘wahala’, they should not involve the governor in their blame game, as both Bebetu and Bello know the crux of their feud,” Lawal summed.
ATIKU, OBJ’S RIFT BEING RESOLVED?
Already, sources in the Atiku Support Group have disclosed that in a determined effort by key political stakeholders in the country to sack the APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the ballot box, come next year, the age-long dispute between ex-VP Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was his boss, is being resolved.
OBJ is the founder of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, a socio-political group that is reportedly determined to ensure that Buhari does not win the next presidential election.
OBJ’s CNM and the SDP have held several talks aimed at forming a coalition ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
Sources at the ASG said Atiku had enlisted the support of former military rulers, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd) and Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd), with a view to interceding on his behalf with Obasanjo, to, for once, “let bygones be bygones for the common goal of driving Buhari out of power.”
“Even recently, when members of the PDP National Working Committee paid a courtesy call on Babangida at his Hilltop mansion in Minna, Niger State, our man in the NWC, Alhaji Abdullahi Maibasira, who is the National Financial Secretary, was given a special task to whisper to IBB, Atiku’s message that he should not forget to mention the proposed peace meeting to Obasanjo whenever they have time to talk,” the ASG source disclosed to our correspondent.
The source added that Falae, during his recent visit to Obasanjo in his Abeokuta, Ogun State country home, “mentioned the need for him to resolve the dispute with Atiku and we learnt that Baba (OBJ) smiled and said, ‘Well, let’s see what will happen.’”
The source said, that statement ascribed to Obasanjo, had made the Atiku camp to be upbeat, as it implied that OBJ’s body language was amenable to reconciling with Atiku.
ATIKU WON’T LEAVE PDP – SPOKESMAN
But speaking with our correspondent, spokesman for the former VP, Mr. Paul Ibe, said there was no truth in the speculation that his boss was involved with SDP affairs, noting that such would have amounted to anti-party activities.
“It is completely out of place to think that Atiku is leaving for the SDP or romancing with the party. Right now, he is working with stakeholders in the PDP to reposition the party and make it victorious in the next presidential election. And as for the presidential ticket, we have strong confidence in the PDP delegates who know the worth of the former VP as a candidate that can deliver victory in an election.
“Atiku is the candidate who has the capacity to take Nigeria out of this hopeless situation as he is out to provide over 10,000 jobs, because Nigerians are hungry and they need a leader that can end this hunger, poverty and misery
in the land.”
But a source at the ASG also told our correspondent that Atiku recently mooted the idea of crossing over to the SDP in view of “the great barrier” between him and the PDP presidential ticket, but that his son discouraged him, saying it would backfire.
BABA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ATIKU CORDIAL – OBJ’S SPOKESMAN
OBJ’s spokesman, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, however, said there was nothing wrong in Atiku reaching out to OBJ for support, noting that everything would come under the headline, “Politics”.
He said, “Have they not made up before? If Atiku is trying to make up with Baba to get his support for his presidential ambition, that is politics. It is not personal. If you want to be President and I feel, as a person, as Obasanjo, I’m not comfortable with you becoming the President; but if you’re trying to woo me, goodluck to you if you get my consent.
“So, I don’t think there is anything between them that is beyond politics. Their relationship is cordial, to the best of my knowledge. But if it is politics, if Baba says ‘yes, this is where I stand’ and if Atiku is trying to make up, goodluck. They don’t have any misunderstanding that is personal.”
OPPOSITION VOTES N50BN FOR PVC HOLDERS -INVESTIGATION
Fresh findings have also revealed that the various opposition parties and groups in the country are already holding secret meetings with a view to contributing funds running to about N50bn, to ensure that all holders of Permanent Voter’s Cards in the country are tracked and encouraged to vote.
A socio-political and research group, Youth Revolution Movement, which is at the vanguard of ‘Operation Show Your PVC’, said it had formed cells in all the states of the federation, for the purpose of tracking all Nigerians with PVCs and educating them on the need to vote out the APC government, come next year.
Leader of the YRM and presidential aspirant, Revd. David Ize-Iyamu, told our correspondent that the movement, through its research, had confirmed that the youths constituted the majority of voters in all past elections in the country and, as such, had the capacity to decide who becomes the next
President.
Ize-Iyamu, who is the General Overseer of Jesus Evangelical Assembly, a church in Lagos, said the YRM had series of talks with virtually all opposition parties in the country and expressed the hope that “soon, there will be a grand alliance of Nigerians of like mind and with the same goal.”
“As I am talking to you, I’m about going for another meeting with yet a political group, as the youths of this country are determined to change this administration next year for a more progressive, forward-moving leadership,” the 50-year old cleric cum politician, disclosed.
Ize-Iyamu said the YRM had slated Saturday, May 5 for a nationwide youth rally to announce the determination of the Nigerian youths to take over the leadership of the country, come next February presidential election.
Only recently, the Independent National Electoral Commission disclosed that over seven million PVCs had yet to be collected nationwide. The INEC National Commissioner in charge of the
North-Central Zone, Mr. Mohammed Harunah, made the
disclosure.
