Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal rekindle rivalry, jostle for PDP presidential ticket

As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for national convention, gladiators eyeing the presidential ticket of the party are warming up, and they’re mainly from the North, raising the expectation that the party may have concluded plans to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the North.

Leading the pack is 77-year old former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who has not hidden his desire to contest for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election.

While it may be too early in the day to weigh Atiku in the balance, developments in the party and projections in the months ahead will be crucial in determining his fate. For now, the terrain appears uncertain with the party embroiled in a leadership crisis that is becoming difficult to resolve.

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He was the party’s presidential candidate in 2019, and lost to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

Another likely contender for the party’s presidential ticket is 58-year old immediate past President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki.

Saraki has come across as a politician with tall ambitions and whose gaze is usually fixed on moving targets. Despite the downturn in his political fortune, the two term senator is gradually coming back to the mainstream.

After a brief period of inertia, Saraki appears to be getting back his groove. Of late, he has been actively involved in the affairs of the PDP at the national level. He has also been linked to a series of mobilisation and political shuttles within his North central geopolitical zone in recent times.

The Sokoto State Governor, 55-year old Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, may turn out to be one of the strongest contenders in the race for the party ticket. He has been able to maintain a relatively baggage free outlook in his political career so far. His conciliatory approach to politics has continued to endear him to many stakeholders in the opposition party.

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Widely perceived to be temperate and level headed, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives has continued to build political bridges across the six geopolitical zones right from his days in the federal legislature. Seen by his colleagues in the PDP Governors Forum as a team player, Tambuwal’s contribution to the relative stability in the PDP may count for him when the chips are down.

Party sources have continued to credit the 55-year-old politician with a sense of balance between his ambition and the common good of his party. He is widely acknowledged by the various contending groups and interests in the party for his stabilising role in the ongoing efforts at resolving the leadership crisis rocking the PDP at the moment.

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Tambuwal started his political career as a member of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the PDP before he emerged as Speaker in 2011.

He joined the race for the presidential ticket of the PDP in 2018, but came second, losing the slot to Atiku. He sought re-election as governor in 2019 and got re-elected for a second term.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, 62-year old, is also being speculated to be eying the party’s ticket. He came into prominence in 2007 with his election into the Senate to represent the Bauchi South senatorial district.

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He was a leader of the Unity Forum, a group of senators that mobilised support for the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan during the protracted infirmity of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

There have been a plethora of media reports lately, that the governor may have been contemplating dumping the PDP for the APC. He has yet to confirm or deny the reports. His active involvement in the affairs of the party and the PDP Governors Forum in recent times may have put a lie to the reports.