- Obj, IBB presidential targets on Party’s shop list
There are emerging indicators that whatever Movement for change under the aegis of the Third Force may, in the ultimate denoucement, fuse into the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is not unconnected with the search for the president’s successor by the prominent leaders of the emergent Movement whose targets for presidential tickets are already on the shop list of PDP.
There are insinuations that some elder statesmen and retried Army Generals who were said to include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of Sate Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State Abdusalami Abubakar, retired Lieutenant General T.Y. Danjuma and retired Lieutenant General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, have purportedly reached a consensus on a new president of Nigeria in 2019. Though, they aligned on same principle but have
relative divergence on the path to achieve the goal.
Former President Obasanjo had insisted on non-partisan approach to sponsoring Buhari’s successor, IBB and some others in the coalition subscribe to riding on the horse of the PDP structures which has consolidated over the years in producing the next president to succeed Buhari.
A report did linked Obasanjo with the preference of sponsoring a presidential candidate on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as well as his penchant for the candidature of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
IBB has however, advised PDP to ensure the party fields a credible presidential candidate in 2019.
However, Obasanjo, IBB and others, though divided over choice of presidential candidates, they are, however, latently united since the candidates they are differently lobbying are already on the sop list of PDP.
IBB has been considering Governor Waziri Aminu Tambuwal for the 2019 presidential candidature, having Abdulaziz Nyako as an alternative.
Besides, Nyako, son of former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, PDP has been lobbying both Kwankwaso and Tambuwal to defect from the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP for the presidential ticket in the party’s search for a credible candidate to challenge Buhari in 2019.
Even in his retirement from partisan politics, IBB has continued to advise PDP in the party’s build up to 2019 general elections. Obasanjo has been indifferent but his choice presidential candidate, Kwankwaso, is also negotiating PDP ticket.
The tendency is that the Third Force could at last consider joining the PDP rather than SDP for the presidential contest.