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BREAKING: Atiku Speaks on Leaving PDP for SDP

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed rumours that he is planning to leave his party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Reacting to the speculation, Atiku’s special adviser on broadcast media, Abdulrasheed Shehu, took to X (formerly Twitter) to debunk the claims.

“Disregard the misinformation! Atiku Abubakar has neither joined nor is joining the SDP. This baseless speculation is a deliberate attempt to mislead,” Shehu wrote.

The rumours gained traction amid reports of Atiku’s growing political ties with former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Some sources suggested that both politicians, along with their allies, might be preparing to realign politically in response to ongoing challenges within their parties.

El-Rufai, who has recently fallen out of favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, openly expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He stated that if the APC strays too far from the founding principles that shaped it, he may consider leaving—but certainly not for the PDP.

This stance has fueled speculation that the SDP could become a new political home for both Atiku and El-Rufai, especially as the PDP continues to struggle with internal leadership crises.

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BREAKING: Atiku finally approaches Supreme Court, files fresh evidence against Tinubu’s victory

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has finally filed fresh evidence at the Supreme Court of Nigeria against the qualifications of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

Atiku, a former Vice President, said in the fresh evidence that he is categorically and authoritatively asserting that the Diploma Certificate of the Chicago State University (CSU) used by Tinubu to secure qualifications for participation in the election is fake, having been allegedly forged.

In a motion on notice filed by his legal team headed by Chris Uche SAN, Atiku asked the Supreme Court to invoke its Order 2 Rule 12 of 1985 to admit the fresh evidence of certificate forgery and perjury in support of his pending appeal before the Court to do substantial justice to his case.

Atiku, in the motion, marked SC/CV/935/2023, prayed the Apex Court to grant him leave to produce the additional evidence and for the Court to receive the fresh evidence from him.

Respondents in the motion are the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, as 1st to 3rd respectively.

The motion is predicated on several grounds but mainly on the release of academic records of Tinubu, evidence of the Registrar of the Chicago State University before a United States of America Court and the deposition of the same witness in respect of the Diploma Certificate President Tinubu presented to INEC for the purpose of eligibility for the election.

Other grounds in the motion are that “The 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) was not qualified at the time of the election to contest the election as required by Section 137 (1) (j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“Based on facts available to the Appellants/Applicants (Atiku) at the time of filing their Petition, the 1st Appellar Applicant (Atiku Abubakar,) through his United States of American lawyers, Alexander de Cmmont and Argela M. Liu of the law firm of Dechert LLP o11900 K Street, NW, Washington DC 20006-1110, unsuccessfully applied to Chicago State University for the release of copies of the academic records of the 2nd Respondent.

“Given the strict privacy laws in the jurisdiction of Chicago State University, the request for the release of the academic records and certificate issued to the 2nd Respondent could not be granted without an order of court and for the purpose of use in pending court proceedings.

“The 1st Applicant through his said US-based Attomeys thereupon brought an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois -In rc: Application of Atiku Abubakar for an Order Directing Discovery from Chicago State University Case No. 23-CV-05099 for an order for the production of documents and testimony for use in a proceeding in a foreign court, seeking documents and testimony from Chicago State University concerning the authenticity and origin of documents purporting to be the educational records of the 2nd Respondent, Bola A. Tinubu.

“The 2nd Respondent (Tinubu) applied and was joined in the matter as an Intervenor, vehemently opposed the application.

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BREAKING: Tinubu Forged Certificate of a Black American – Atiku’s Lawyer Reveals

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

One of the lawyers of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has revealed that Tinubu may have allegedly forged the certificate of a black American.

LEADING REPORTER reports that Kalu made the revelation during a press conference today regarding the ongoing legal battle against President Bola Tinubu in the United States.

Kalu, addressing a packed room of journalists, pointed to a document released by Chicago State University (CSU), saying the document suggests that Tinubu may have allegedly forged the certificate of another person.

Atiku Abubakar initiated the lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over the authenticity of Tinubu’s academic record at Chicago State University (CSU). Tinubu had opposed the release of these documents, claiming a breach of his privacy, but the court ruled otherwise.

Following the court’s decision, Atiku’s legal team gained access to the documents on Monday, and an oral deposition was recorded from Caleb Westberg, the Registrar of CSU. A deposition is a process where sworn, out-of-court oral testimony is obtained from a witness, often transcribed for use in court or for discovery purposes.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Kalu said, “On the certificate issued or released by Chicago State University to the lawyers of Alhajji Atiku Abubakar. These are the documents; One, that Bola Ahmed Tinubu forged the certificate he presented to INEC.

“Two, that the qualified certificate from Southwest College to Chicago State University bears a female. That means that document does not belong to Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Three, the Chicago State University admission application form has a claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended Government College Lagos and graduated in 1970, when indeed the school got established in 1974. The same document has it that the owner of that document is a Black American and the document Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to INEC, he denied having dual citizenship which means it doesn’t not belong to him.”

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Is PDP on auto-pilot mode?

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

By Tonnie Iredia

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has served as Nigeria’s main opposition party since she lost the 2015 presidential election. Before then, the party had formed the federal government of the country for 16 years from 1999-2015.

Against the backdrop of the failure of the current ruling party, the All Progressives Congress APC to meet the expectations of some Nigerians, there were hopes that the PDP might return to power. But only last week, one of her activists in my neighbourhood expressed pain that his party was no longer her vivacious self. In his words, ‘PDP has been on auto pilot mode’ in the last six months.

No one should misunderstand my friend; he was not referring to the autopilot system that is used to control the path of an aircraft without a human operator. He was only trying to describe a phenomenon that functions without thinking about what it is doing or without making a conscious effort to act. The rest of our discussions forms the content of this article.

Apart from across-the-nation sentiments about seasonal rotation of political positions, PDP is probably the only party that specifically provides for zoning in her constitution. Surprisingly, when some of the leaders saw the need to break the provision, they took no step to appropriately amend that aspect of the constitution. Rather they went ahead to throw the presidential election open whereas it was specifically zoned for the 2019 contest. Of course, clumsy arguments such as calculating the duration of certain office-holders or that zoning was not cast in iron are not viable defences to constitutional breaches. As a way out, the party purported to have set up a zoning committee as if that was a necessary procedure for rotation. In addition, it was clear that the unwieldy committee could never have done justice to the subject.

At the end of the day, the same area to which it was zoned four years earlier was formally given a chance to participate in the 2023 contest thereby hurting some feelings.

As if working to the answer, a decision on zoning was not made until after many aspirants from different zones had been allowed to pay huge sums to procure nomination forms. Everyone knew that the party had gone beyond a level where she could stop persons who already had nomination forms. Unfortunately, rather than calm frayed nerves, the PDP moved on to the next stage with some injuries that became exacerbated by the election of an aspirant not from the South as canvassed by the majority of PDP governors but from the North.

The hopes of those who thought the candidate that emerged would take steps to unite the party, were dashed as the naming of the running mate which was expected to be done by the candidate was again subjected to two unnecessary committees. The one that was to advise the candidate having found an opportunity to function like 2022 party delegates poorly handled it by making their choice known to the world at large.

The second committee which was reportedly set up to screen less than 5 PDP governors who are well-known to themselves and to the candidate was patently unnecessary. All it achieved was to make the energetic Nyesom Wike and his supporters to feel humiliated thereby increasing the number of aggrieved party members. It would have been a win-win situation if the candidate had personally handled the subject, by making his choice to the understanding of others.

The entire story depicts a new Atiku quite different from the master-strategist I knew as Vice President in the Obasanjo administration. One can only hope that some praise singers and hangers-on have not cornered him. Whatever the situation, he needs to quickly take control from the autopilot and stop all those who have a private agenda.

Candidate Atiku should not allow a repeat of the type of intervention by former Niger state governor Babangida Aliyu which virtually complicated negotiations and unity in the party. As one can see now, such careless talks have widened the gap and turned government house Port Harcourt into Nigeria’s political Mecca that is now open to all politicians who are anxious to woo a hitherto inviolable party man. Any person who canvasses the idea that Wike is dispensable is working for Atiku’s opponents. The same is true of the argument that the man is ungovernable. He was Chief of Staff to a former governor to whom he showed no insubordination, he was Minister of state for Education without fighting the main Minister.

He was later mandated to take control of the same Ministry and never gave the president cause for regret. The aggressiveness portrayed by him as governor merely underscores his capacity to fit into every new role.

The issues that some party members are using to challenge PDP’s cohesion exceed the candidature of the president and his vice. A good example of poor handling of party matters is easily seen in how the party performed at the recent Ekiti governorship election. PDP had no business allowing a contentious primary election that drove away Chief Segun Oni to another party while front-runners like Senator Biodun Olujimi who stayed back were pushed into the fringes of the party with suppressed anger. The case of Oni was particularly unwise because he had become a sought-for political aspirant in the state.

A special report by some analysts had indeed revealed that Oni was more the candidate to beat. This has been confirmed by the fact that he left the PDP to a less-known Social Democratic Party SDP, yet garnered more votes at the election than the PDP candidate.

To make matters worse, the national body of the PDP virtually abandoned their candidate during the election. The usual presentation of flag to the party’s candidate was not done just as the practice of a mega rally a few days before the election to boost the chances of the party and invigorate her members did not also happen.

There was an unconfirmed rumour during the election that a grant from the party headquarters to the state branch was not delivered in full making state party executives to return the money. Even if the only interest of the PDP is next year’s presidential election, it is obvious that the party’s candidate can only do well in Ekiti if the state branch is viable. PDP’s lukewarm posture seems to confirm the charge that she is on autopilot mode.

This becomes more obvious when it is realized that APC’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the PDP mocks as weak put up a strong showing along with governors of the party from different states who added ample elegance to the mega rally of the eventual winner of the election.

It is obvious that all is not well with the PDP. For example, some members from the Southern zones may work against the interest of the party if the North schemes to hold-on to both the presidential candidate and national party chairmanship positions. Already some leaders in the South are waiting anxiously for Iyorcha Ayu to step down as he once promised now that the North has produced the presidential candidate.

This has to be resolved without delay if the PDP wants a united national party. It makes very little sense to continue to argue that such primordial issues are no longer relevant in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity like Nigeria where now and again, centrifugal forces keep stretching the nation to breaking point.

Atiku Abubakar must rise up now to save his party if he intends to successfully wrestle power from the incumbent APC. On the basis of first things first, he has to remove his party from autopilot mode and take control of fence-mending to create a formidable team by stopping pockets of crises. For instance, although the government of Edo state was formed by the PDP in 2020, the party has since remained an atomistic entity that is permanently at war with itself. But if however, the PDP is complacent. about taking over government at the federal level in 2023 she should endeavour to at least help deepen Nigeria’s democracy by remaining a daunting opposition that can put the ruling party on its feet.
June 26, 2022.

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From Frying Pan to Fire: APC Picks Another Unfit Tinubu After Buhari – Disporans for PDP

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

As the 2023 presidential election shifts into high gear, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pulled a big surprise on Nigerians home and abroad by selecting a retired, physically unfit man, Former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as candidate for president of Nigeria.

In response, a US-based organization of Nigerians in diaspora, Diasporans for PDP, has called on APC to stop joking with the future of Nigeria.

In a statement to press by the organization’s National Publicity Secretary, Chidi Igwe, Diasporans for PDP expressed total dismay that APC’s choice of a retired, physically unfit man for president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is retrogressive and will leave Nigeria in a worst shape than the country has been under President Muhammadu Buhari, who himself, was retired and physically unfit when he took office eight years ago.

“The job of a president requires a sound mind, and by what we see today, Former Governor Tinubu is not physically fit, and will not be any different from President Buhari. I think the new name of that party should be All Retrogressive Congress,” says the Diasporans for PDP founder and national chair Honourable Victoria Pamugo.

“Every Nigerian has seen how unproductive and backward our country has been in the past eight years just because we have a retired, physically unfit person as president in Aso Rock.

Instead of giving Nigerians hope by choosing a young, physically fit, working-class Nigerian as we see in other countries like Canada and France, APC has once again shown that they do not represent the interests of the Nigerian people. Rather, they are just working to satisfy the political aspirations of a few retired men among their ranks,” Honourable Pamugo noted.

“Is Nigeria really ready to jump from frying pan to fire? APC’s choice of candidate is bad news for our country,” she lamented.

At the same time, Diasporans for PDP called all members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to unite ahead of the campaign to defeat APC. The US-based organization, which, last week, released a congratulatory message to the PDP flag-bearer, Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, deems it necessary to remind the party about what is really at stake in this election.

“Nigerians have really suffered a lot in the hands of their incompetent, wicked, and nonchalant government under President Buhari and his APC cronies,” says Honourable Pamugo.

“These incompetent APC leaders have taken the country more than one hundred years backward,” Honourable Pamugo lamented.

“Nigerians have no access to good jobs, good healthcare system, good education… We have no electricity, no food, and no good roads. We have no security. Nothing is working in our country. Citizens are frustrated. People are killed on the streets of Nigeria everyday and everywhere with reckless abandon.

There is no potable water. Inflation is at rates never seen before. We have an abysmal rate of youth unemployment. We have no reliable broadband internet connectivity. All bridges, schools and infrastructure built by our founding fathers are all crumbling as we watch, and no new ones are being built. We have an uncontrollable brain-drain caused by massive exodus as working-class Nigerians migrate to other countries day by day.”

“What country can survive with all these vices?” Honourable Pamugo questioned rhetorically.

“Those are the things at stake in this election. Should Nigeria continue like this? I think the answer is NO in all caps. The key question Nigerians should be asking themselves is why on earth should we give APC another chance to run this country, especially when they have scorned the youth and have continued to choose these retired, physically unfit men for president?”

“All that President Buhari and APC have given us in the past eight years is institutionalizing corruption, even as they apply selective justice by using state security agencies to go after their supposed or perceived enemies and political opponents, while at the same time protecting the fat cats that continue to milk the nation through corrupt means.”

“Restoring hope, life and dignity of every Nigerian is what is at stake in this election, and PDP has a chance to show Nigerians what we can do differently as a party to change the direction in which the country is currently going.”

“We know that some party members may have been wronged in more than one way, and everyone is right to express their dissatisfaction with one party decision or another. But in the end, we are a family. We must not let our eyes off the ball. The things at stake are strong enough to cause us to unite for the benefit of all Nigerians.”

“That is why, on behalf of Diasporans for PDP, I am calling on all PDP members and party lovers to bury the hatchet for the sake of unity. Now that our flag-bearer has emerged, our party must unite, rally around our candidate, and focus on the big fight to defeat APC in 2023. And I believe that PDP is the only party that has the chance, the system, and existing structure to be able to defeat APC,” she added.

“We do not want another four or even eight years of an incompetent, retired and wicked government in Nigeria. PDP must unite for the benefit and future of our country, as it is only through unity that we will achieve victory in this election,” she said.

“As Nigerians in the diaspora, we know that we are not eligible to vote in this election. We also know that we represent a powerful economic and influential bloc. Diasporans for PDP is ready and will help to galvanize the diaspora population to bring about real and lasting change in Nigeria,” Honourable Pamugo affirmed.

“We will mobilize our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, uncles and families in Nigeria to vote wisely and together we will redeem our country from the harm caused by President Buhari and his APC friends over the past eight years,” she emphasized.

“We will support our party and our flag-bearer by mobilizing our volunteers on ground in every state of the federation for grassroots campaign operations, including door-knocking, speaking directly to voters and encouraging Nigerians to save their own country through the power of their vote.”

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Atiku Coast to Victory at PDP Presidential Primaries

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has again emerged as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Abubakar defeated 12 other candidates in a keenly contested presidential primary held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday.

Of the 767 accredited ballots at the election, he polled 371 votes while his closest challenger, Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, came second with 237 votes.

Nigeria’s former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, scored 70 votes to come a distant third while Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, came fourth with 38 votes.

The only female in the race, Oliver Diana, and another contestant, Sam Ohuabunwa, scored one vote each.

A former President of the Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim, scored 14 votes while Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, scored 20 votes.

The other contestants – including former Governor Ayodele Fayose and Magazine Publisher, Dele Momodu – got zero votes.

Twelve invalid votes were recorded.

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Aso Rock 2023: 12 Politicians Who Want To Replace Buhari

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

The 2023 elections are two years and two months away. Already, notable politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have begun discreet campaigns to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

Also Read: There is Shortage of Leaders

While a few of them, like Senator Ahmed Yarima, have openly declared their presidential ambition, others have been using allies to test the waters.

Because of the uncertainty over zoning, some presidential hopefuls are being cautious, biding their time to see which way the pendulum would swing. 

But as we go into 2021, it is expected that the agitation for the presidential ticket in the two major parties would set off a chain of events expected to culminate in who becomes president in 2023.

Let’s look at 12 political heavyweights believed to be warming up to enter the ring in 2023.

1.Atiku Abubakar

He was Vice President from 1999 to 2007 during the reign of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He was the PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections but lost to APC’s Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku, a business mogul and political heavyweight, is thought to have a deep pocket with political machinery and structures spread across the country. He ran for governor of Adamawa State first in 1990 and again in 1998 (when he won, before being picked as VP candidate) and was a presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC) in the 2007 presidential elections.

He contested the PDP presidential ticket before the 2011 general elections but did not make it.

In 2014, he joined the APC ahead of the 2015 presidential elections and contested the presidential primaries but lost to Buhari. He would later support Buhari’s run to Aso Rock. After being sidelined by the APC, he returned to the PDP in 2017 and secured the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 general elections.

Though Atiku has not openly declared his intention to contest in 2023, indications show that he would. He has been a constant critic of the Buhari administration and his son,  Adamu Atiku, had in June 2020, said that his father would contest again in 2023.

Adamu, who spoke at the presentation of his scorecard as Commissioner for Works and Energy in Adamawa State, said, “I don’t see anything wrong with my father contesting for the presidency.

“In 2023, my father will be aspiring to the Number One office in the land because he has been an astute, strategic, master politician for almost four decades,” he said. 

2. Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has not openly declared his intention to run for the 2023 presidency but his allies, loyalists and supporters have commenced early campaigns for him to succeed President Buhari.

Though Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, has at every forum reiterated that the time is not yet ripe for 2023 electioneering, those around him have already started mobilizing.

Immediately after the 2019 elections, a group in Lagos, Tinubu 2023 Non-Negotiable (TNN), began actively campaigning for him nationwide.

Only last week, a new group, South West Agenda (SWAGA), led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye, comprising of former lawmakers and other politicians, asked Tinubu to make a run for 2023.

Tinubu has also recently embarked on a national tour, which analysts say are surreptitious moves to sell himself to the people and invigorate his national appeal.

But his 2023 ambitions are being challenged by forces within the party and he would have to overcome this threat to secure the party’s ticket.

Also, a group of young Nigerian professionals recently unveiled a political movement in Abuja to work for the actualisation of Tinubu’s perceived presidential aspiration.

The movement known as Young Professionals for Tinubu 2023, with membership across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, said it had been in existence for almost two years, noting that the occasion was to mark its formal inauguration.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Ahmed Muhammed Ibrahim, noted that Tinubu’s leadership qualities and knack for development informed the group’s resolve to work for his emergence as the APC candidate, as well as his success in the 2023 presidential election.

Tinubu has easily dominated South-West politics since 1999 and had been a thorn in the sides of the then ruling PDP.

He battled then President Obasanjo to a standstill and has managed to install every governor in Lagos since 2007, and many others in the South West. His biggest challenge yet might just be surviving the APC, a party he helped form and still leads, to make his presidential ambition a reality in 2023. 

3. Rotimi Amaechi

Recently, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, a former two-term governor of Rivers State and current minister of transportation, stressed the need for the APC to respect the gentleman agreement to zone the presidency to the South in 2023.

This, pundits say, suggests he has ambitions for the seat.

Amaechi is one of the most visible ministers in Buhari’s government. He served as the Director-General of Buhari’s Campaign in 2015 and 2019.

He has experience as a former speaker in Rivers State, a two-term governor, former chairman of the NGF and now a minister driving a critical ministry in the present government.

But there are odds stacked against him as he may have to battle former President Goodluck Jonathan for the soul of the South-South.

He is also going to contend with the infighting in his home state, which has left the party deeply divided in recent times.

While he has not also declared interest in the presidency, people around him say he has his eyes firmly fixed on the seat and he is not leaving anything to chance. 

4. Kayode Fayemi

Though Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has not declared for president in 2023, remarks made recently by a leader of the APC in his state suggest that the former minister of mines and steel development may be gearing up for the exalted seat.

Penultimate Saturday, the Paul Omotoso-led APC caretaker committee endorsed the governor for the presidency in 2023.

Omotoso, who spoke through Ade Ajayi, the APC caretaker publicity secretary, at an event organised by Olusegun Osinkolu in Ayede Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state, said the party would drag Mr Fayemi into the presidential battle forcefully if he refuses to join willingly.

“On the 2023 presidency, the time has come for the president to come from Ekiti. That is why we are pleading with you to support Governor Fayemi.

“Though Governor Fayemi has never said he wanted to contest, we will force him to plunge into the race because of his competence, dedication and loyalty to [the] APC,” he added.

Fayemi can also leverage on his current position as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to pursue this ambition with the support of governors in the ruling party. 

5. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Pundits believe Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano State, is likely to pursue his presidential ambition again in 2023.

Though the former minister of defence has not declared interest yet, he has, at different times, sought the presidential ticket of both the APC and the PDP but lost to President Buhari and former Vice President Atiku respectively.

Kwankwaso, who enjoys widespread support in Kano, is the leader of the Kwankwasiyya political movement.

He was in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 1990s, rubbing shoulders with the likes of the late General Shehu Yar’adua, his former boss Senator Magaji Abdullahi, Babagana Kingibe, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, late Tony Anenih, late Chuba Okadigbo, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila and late Lamidi Adedibu amongst others. 

6. Donald Duke

Donald Duke was the governor of Cross River State and the SDP presidential candidate in 2019.

He left the PDP, where he had served as a two-term governor to run for the presidential seat on the platform of the SDP.

Duke had initially declared his intention to run for president in 2007 but stepped aside in favour of the late Umaru Yar’Adua.

Analysts say his ambition to become president remains alive with his constant engagements at important occasions across the country.

Already, there are some social media groups like Team Donald Duke which has over 40,000 members reportedly from the South-South, South East and South Western parts of the country championing the 2023 presidential ambition of the former governor. 

7. Owelle Rochas Okorocha

With the deafening agitation for a Southern presidency in 2023,  Rochas Okorocha, the former Imo State governor and Senator representing Imo West, qualifies as one of the candidates to fly the APC’s flag.

As a former chairman of the NGF, he may enjoy a nationwide reach and with the Igbo fighting tooth and nail to get the presidency, he might enjoy some advantage.

But the argument in some quarters has been that his influence appears to be limited in Igboland.

He, therefore, might not be accepted as the face of the Igbo and the right candidate to champion that course.

Okorocha should be ready to face even tougher challenges than he did in 2019 when he could not secure the APC ticket for his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu. 

8. Ahmed Sani Yarima

He was governor of Zamfara State from 1999 to 2007.

He represented Zamfara West in the National Assembly and equally served as Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate.

He is currently a member of the ruling APC.

Yarima is the only person to have declared his ambition to be president in 2023.

He had attempted before in 2007 but later stepped aside for Buhari.

Recently, he told reporters in his Abuja residence that he would contest the 2023 presidency, insisting that the APC leaders did not reach any agreement before the 2015 general elections that there would be power rotation to the South at the expiration of President Buhari’s tenure in 2023.

If there is a zoning arrangement, it would most likely scuttle Yarima’s ambition, but the former governor seems determined to plod through, arguing that zoning was alien to the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the APC’s Constitution.

He insists that no one could force him out of the race on grounds of zoning.

“You see, I don’t think there is anything like agreement. You can ask Mr President.

“He led the group. Asiwaju was there. I was part of it. There was no meeting I didn’t attend or any meeting that I attended that there was such an agreement.

“Agreements can’t be verbal, [they have] to be written. In any case, any agreement that is contrary to the laws of this country is not an agreement.

“The Constitution is very clear, the Constitution of the political parties, the Electoral Act.

“We are in a democracy and democracy is governed by processes and procedures and bylaws.

“The Constitution of Nigeria doesn’t recognize anything called zoning and likewise, the APC’s Constitution. If there is that agreement, why didn’t we put it in the Constitution?” he said. 

9. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

The incumbent Sokoto State governor clinched the governorship seat in 2015 using the APC ticket.

He was a founding member of the APC, after he and some other governors defected from the PDP and helped form the coalition that became the APC.

He would later return to the PDP, vie for the presidential ticket in 2019 and after losing that to Atiku Abubakar, secure a second term as governor of Sokoto State on the party’s ticket.

Tambuwal served as the 10th speaker of the House of Representatives and represented the Tambuwal/Kebbe Federal Constituency of Sokoto State at the National Assembly.

He is currently the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum (PDPGF).

The governor has started consulting some notable political leaders across the six geo-political zones over his presidential ambition.

On August 22, 2020, Tambuwal held a closed-door meeting with a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Pent House.

The Special Assistant on Media to the former President, Kehinde Akinyemi, confirmed the closed-door meeting in a statement he issued the following day.

The statement titled “Obasanjo still relevant for consultations on issues of governance and challenges” described the visit by Tambuwal as an unscheduled one.

The statement also quoted the governor as saying he visited Obasanjo for consultation on governance and other issues.

The governor also consulted former Senate President David Mark, former Defence Minister, Gen TY Danjuma (retd) and many other prominent politicians.

Pundits say Tambuwal is counting on his age, political experience in the legislative and executive arms of governments, his clout, and political pedigree to become president. 

10. Yahaya Bello

There are strong signals that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is among those eyeing Buhari’s seat in 2023.

Already, giant billboards have been erected in strategic locations in the state, urging him to run for president in 2023.

Recently, the Kogi State House of Assembly, at its plenary, passed a resolution calling on the governor to run for president.

House Majority Leader, Hassan Abdullahi, while moving the motion said the call was predicated on the ‘sterling performance’ of the governor since he assumed office in 2016.

Besides the resolution by the state lawmakers, the governor’s foot soldiers and loyalists, including commissioners and special advisers in his cabinet, have all been drumming support for his (Bello’s) presidency in 2023 through various social and traditional media platforms.

According to them, it is now the turn of the North Central geopolitical zone to produce the next president. 

11. David Umahi

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State is also one of the politicians from the South East believed to be interested in Buhari’s plum seat in 2023.

Umahi, who has been a top chieftain of the PDP for many years, recently defected to the ruling APC in a strategic move to position him for the 2023 presidency.

Although Umahi has said that his defection had nothing to do with any presidential ambition in 2023, pundits and political watchers are of the view that the Ebonyi governor was being economical with the truth.

In the fullness of time, it would be clear whether Umahi would throw his hat in the ring for the presidency or not. 

12. Bala Mohammed

Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State is a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 2010 to 2015.

Senator Mohammed of the PDP defeated an incumbent APC governor in the 2019 elections, thereby creating a major upset in a key State that has always voted for President Buhari.

The governor of Bauchi State has not shown any interest to run for the presidency but a civic group, Abuja Coalition of Youth and Women, has called on him to contest the elections.

The group made the call in a communique issued at the end of its meeting in Abuja and signed by Aminu Zakari and Christiana Jacob, president and secretary-general respectively.According to the group, by 2023, Nigeria would be in dire need of a competent, transparent and resourceful leader to pilot the affairs of the nation and save it from chaos and disintegration.The names of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe), Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State are being mentioned in certain quarters, but it is not yet clear if they would contest.Sources said they are being circumspect about their ambition because of the zoning factor and would most likely contest when the cloud gets clearer.

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