By Abang Mercy
As the 2015 elections draw closer, the All Progressive Party (APC) is set to go into a tight primary elections, and party influencers have begun to shift their political weight in favor of their preferred candidates.
Sources tell NewsWireNGR real reasons why the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Ogun State last week, in an attempt to reshuffle the outcome of the upcoming party’s primaries.
An insider who was part of the delegation with Tinubu during the visit tells NewsWireNGR that the APC Chieftain, Asiwaju was there to persuade on obasanjo so as to convince Buha?ì to step down for Tambuwal ahead of the primaries.
“To be honest only Baba can speak to Buhari and he will listen, that is why Jagaban had to try out that option, don’t forget that a Buhari Presidency will not be loyal to Tinubu as compared to Tambuwal” our source who doesn’t want his name mentioned said.
When asked why the change of heart over his support for General Buhari who is seen as a major stakeholder in the formation of the APC, he said. “Tinubu wants a team player that will not be autocratic, Buhari has promised to hand over to Tinubu after four years if he wins, but Tinubu does not believe in that calculation”.
He continued,”Besides, he (Tinubu) also wants a new face to the entire political calculation, if the PDP must be given a run for their money, we can’t afford another GMB failure for 2015, people believe GMB’s candidacy will be a work over for the PDP and Jonathan”.
Another associate of the Tinubu camp said the overbearing influence of some close associates of Gen. Buhari, who they claimed were likely to fence out other political stakeholders in a possible Buhari presidency.
The source however said Tinubu’s request was turned down by Obasanjo , who asked that he tells Buhari himself.
According to the source, “He was turned down and advised to go and do it himself. OBJ said he will not support further experimentation with the leadership of Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, Tinubu’s media aide, Sunday Dare has said “Nobody has been dumped or anybody backed In APC, what is playing out is the kind of democracy we all prayed for. Tinubu has not dumped Buhari”
Dare added “Tinubu has not dumped anyone. The stories being pushed in the media that he has switched support is simply not true. It is self serving.”
Recall that the visit by Tinubu followed an earlier visit to the former president, by his vice Abubakar Atiku who is also a presidential aspirant of the APC. Atiku Abubakar, on Friday had held a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at Mr. Obasanjo’s home in Abeokuta, but details was not made known.
At the moment, former President Obasanjo has refused to support the second term mandate of President Jonathan.
Obasanjo has continued to hold meetings about the outcome of the next elections in his residence in Ogun State, avoiding PDP meetings and turned down request by Jonathan to attend his second term declaration event in Abuja.
Speaker Aminu Tambuwal only last week bought the APC Presidential nomination form, and that action has created confusion within the leadership of Nigeria’s opposition party hoping to oust the PDP by 2015.
