BREAKING NEWS-APC Dumps Buhari for Tambuwal As Presidential Candidate.

The Vice President position is zoned to South-West and should be a Christian, as APC favoured a Muslim President.

Barring any last-minute change, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, may have endorsed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, as the presidential candidate of the main opposition party in the 2015 general election.

National Mirror gathered that other presidential aspirants on the platform of the party, including the former Head of State. Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd.), are being persuaded to step down for Tambuwal.

As a prelude to the formal announcement of his candidature, Tambuwal has been advised to formally dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which provided the platform for his election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly and defect to the opposition party. Already, findings showed that Tambuwal had agreed to the condition. Reliable sources close to the party disclosed that Tambuwal would meet the condition as soon as the House reconvenes in the New Year.

It was gathered that the leaders of APC in settling for Tambuwal considered that he possessed solid character content to sway the support of Nigerians for his candidature in the presidential election. It was also learnt that those rooting for Tambuwal in APC were of the opinion that his integrity and pedigree were strong points over candidates of other political parties in the presidential election, especially in the likelihood that the ruling party fielded President Goodluck Jonathan.

Investigations revealed that APC leaders were persuaded by the independent disposition of Tambuwal in the management of the affairs of the House, particularly his courage to shun the interference of the leadership of PDP and the Presidency. One of the APC leaders, who spoke with National Mirror correspondent, said Tambuwal’s uncommon courage has endeared him to Nigerians.

“The leaders of APC have settled for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2015 election. Although the decision is not public yet, there is a consensus of opinion by our leaders that the Speaker (Tambuwal) be allowed to fly the flag of the party in the presidential election.

“Our leaders believe that the Speaker has what it takes to win the presidential election and Mr. Speaker has been told to dump his party, PDP and move into APC to enable him to scale the hurdle. Tambuwal has agreed to that and he is expected to declare for APC with some other members of the House in the first quarter of New Year.

“In deciding on Tambuwal, his originality and independence in the handling of the affairs of the House were taken into consideration. Nigerians are impressed that Tambuwal shunned entreaties by the leadership of PDP and the Presidency to make the House an appendage of the executive arm of government.

“The Speaker has no doubt endeared himself to a lot of Nigerians by his sterling leadership qualities and APC believes that such qualities are required from any Nigerian aspiring for the highest political office in the country,” added the source, who did not want his name mentioned. Buhari and other presidential aspirants on the platform of the party were being persuaded to step down for Tambuwal, the source said.

According to him, Buhari and others were made to understand that the interest of the party superseded the ambition of any individual within the party. He added that other presidential aspirants in the party have been advised to bury their interest to enable the party present “a credible and marketable presidential candidate to Nigerians.”

“The APC is working on all the presidential candidates and they are being persuaded to step down for Tambuwal, who is considered suitable for presidential election. Already, Gen. Buhari and others have displayed uncommon understanding and they are likely to embrace and accept Tambuwal as the flag bearer of the party in the presidential election,” the source added.

A reliable source in the APC also confided in National Mirror that the leadership of the APC had zoned the presidential ticket of the party to the North while the vice-presidential ticket had also been zoned to the South-West which had in turn zoned it to the Ekiti/Ondo axis.

National Mirror reliably gathered that while a young Muslim northerner is the preferred choice, the vice-presidential candidate, will be an elderly practicing Christian. The source told National Mirror that three candidates had actually been penciled down for the vice-presidential slot in the South-West.

It was learnt that Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was in times past a frontrunner as likely vice- presidential candidate was knocked off with the zoning of the slot to the Ekiti/Ondo axis of the South-West geo-political zone. APC leaders were also of the view that a Muslim-Muslim ticket like the 1993 presidential election, where the late business mogul, M.K.O. Abiola chose a Northern Muslim, Babagana Kingibe as his running mate would not fly in today’s Nigeria.

Also not working in Fashola’s favour was the alleged frosty relationship between him and his predecessor and national leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was said not be comfortable with a Fashola vice presidency. A former governor of Ekiti State and a serving governor on the region were also considered but dropped on account of their relatively “young” age.

National Mirror also reliably learnt that the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, after meeting with the leadership of the APC insisted on the choice of a “practicing Christian” as a vice presidential candidate of the party.

It is yet to be known which office would be zoned to the South East and South-South geo-political zones in the political calculations of the APC, but analysts opined that the South East may be pacified with the presidency of the Senate while the South-South may end up with the Speaker of the House of Representatives. - Hope For Nigeria.