Buhari, Kwankwaso go separate ways as consensus plan flops

october 13, 2014.

Efforts by stakeholders in the All Progressives

Congress, APC to forge a consensus between

two of the major presidential aspirants in the

party, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Governor

Rabiu Kwankwanso have failed.

Both men in an apparent determination to slug

it out have now formally scheduled dates to

declare their aspirations.

Reflective of their efforts for political

supremacy, the associates of both men were

last night engaged in a war of words on who

was better placed to win the presidential ticket

of the party.

Buhari is to declare for the contest on

Wednesday, October 15, while Governor

Kwankwanso has himself scheduled his

declaration for October 23, 2014.

Kwankwaso’s decision to go public with his

bid, it was learnt, was sequel to the failed

effort to forge a consensus deal between him

and Buhari. Both men are presently, the two

major aspirants from the Northwest geopolitical

zone of the country.

The development has led to a serious division

among APC supporters in the zone over who

should fly the flag of the party in the coming

election.

Buhari is mainly supported by the masses but

Kwankwanso is believed to have the support

of government officials and political office

holders especially in Kano State.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and

Leadership Newspaper publisher, Sam Nda-

Isaiah are the two other major contenders

remaining in the north following yesterday’s

formal declaration by Senator Bukola Saraki to

withdraw himself from the contest. Governor

Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State is also known

to be testing the waters for a possible bid.

While Kwamkwaso’s supporters are making a

case for a young blood to take a shot at the

presidency, Buhari’s followers advance

political maturity, popularity and experience as

factors that cannot be ignored.

Speaking yesterday on Kwakwanso’s plans for

the presidential race, an associate and

member of the Board of Trustees, BoT of the

APC, Chief Olisameka Akamukali said that

baring any unforeseen circumstances, that

Kwankwanso would unveil his presidential

campaign on October 23.

Akamukali, a former chairman of the

Democratic Peoples Party, DPP in Delta State

said that Governor Kwankwaso had consulted

widely concerning his ambition even as he

said that Buhari needed to give a younger

person a chance to contest the presidency.

“Now in as much as we agree that Buhari is a

man of integrity but you will also agree with

me that age is not on his side,” he said.

His claim was immediately dismissed by a

senior official of the party also sympathetic to

the Buhari campaign who described

Kwankwanso’s bid as a clownish act. He said

that Buhari would defeat the Kano governor

even in Kano.

“Yes, I know that Kwankwanso can get a huge

pile of the government delegates from Kano

but that is the much he can get. What of the

other states or is he relying only on Kano?”

“Or have you forgotten in 2011 that Buhari

defeated the former governor of Kano, Ibrahim

Shekarau even in Kano? The Buhari campaign

is a brand, watch out and see what we are

going to do at the declaration on Wednesday,”

the official said.

Continuing, the Buhari associate wondered

why Kwankwanso mobilises his Kano based

supporters anytime he goes out of the state,

saying that on the contrary that Buhari has his

supporters all over the country and does not

need to carry supporters along to show his

political viability.”

“You know the fact that he has control of one

big state does not mean that he is popular

outside the state,” the Buhari man said.

But asserting the viability of Kwankwanso over

Buhari, Akamukali said:

“The issue of anointing candidates for

elections has been rejected by the APC and

that is why the party is insisting that there

shall be transparent primaries. The fears of

some of the aspirants may be due to the fact

of their previous experience where they never

faced competitive primaries to emerge as

party candidate. That is why such people are

pushing for consensus.

“The generality of the party is saying no, let us

do things differently from what the PDP are

doing. We must have a transparent primary. I

can tell you that Kwakwanso has built a lot of

bridges across the political divide. Remember,

he came into the House of Representatives as

a member of then Social Democratic Party

(SDP) in 1991 and became Deputy Speaker.”

According to Akamukali, one factor that gives

Kwankwaso an edge over other aspirants was

his firm control of APC structures in his state.

“One other factor that is considered additional

strength to the Kano governor is that whereas

he has solid home base support, his co-

contestants, like Atiku and Buhari could not

boast of being in control of the structures of

the party in their home states.

“From the angle of qualification, the

constitution is very clear on this, a man who

has a doctorate in Engineering, academically is

qualified, a man who has not been convicted

by any competent court, a man whom the

EFCC and other Federal Government anti graft

agencies have investigated and nothing was

found on him is eminently qualified to contest

for the president of the country, “ he stated.