INDICATIONS have emerged that the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC) may have settled for Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, as his presidential candidate in the
2015 elections, just as the party presidential candidate in the 2011 elections,
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has started having a rethink about the
2015 presidential race.
Sources in the political circles told Nigerian Tribune that Buhari, who had given his word ahead of the 2011 elections that the election would be his last presidential contest has decided to keep his word, notwithstanding the pressure from some members of his party.
It was gathered that some members of Buhari’s caucus highlighted issues of age and reach of the CPC, which is limited to parts of the North as major impediment to his participation in the 2015 race.
While the former head of state agreed with that submission, initially, pressure from within his party and the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) apparently informed a turnaround some months back.
Sources said that the leader of the ACN, Senator Bola Tinubu, had met with Buhari and reiterated the need for them to work together so as to capture power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sources said that Buhari became so convinced about the Tinubu proposal that he practically took over the job of the CPC/ACN alliance talks committee.
Some members of the CPC, who were said to be wary of entering into a “blind” agreement with the Tinubu-led ACN, had cautioned against wholesale acceptance of the merger option and had insisted on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) before the merger agreement between the two parties could be reached.
Sources further confirmed that the confused state of things within the CPC first informed the delay in signing the MOU, with a section of the party believing that Buhari should not join the 2015 contest, while others who believed that the party cannot survive without Buhari’s father-figure felt that he should still contest election in 2015.
While the confusion lingered, sources said that unfolding developments appeared to have convinced the Buhari camp that the merger plan with the ACN would worsen the party’s woes.
For instance, a source said that leaders of the CPC had reinvented the fear of Tinubu, which informed the collapse of the merger talks between the two parties ahead of the 2011 elections.
The fear, according to sources, had to do with the belief that Tinubu’s ACN was double-dealing and that while they were holding meetings with Buhari’s CPC, some of the key men were also reaching out to the camp of President Goodluck Jonathan.
It was confirmed that Buhari appeared to have accepted the advice that he anoint a successor to the CPC presidential ticket in 2015 and that the party had settled for the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Though Buhari and Tinubu made a show of the CBN governor’s chieftaincy event in June, the CPC is said to have decided to adopt Sanusi as its own candidate in view of the distrust between the two parties.
It was also gathered that Sanusi has decided to give the contest a trial, while leaving his acclaimed interest in the Kano emirate stool in the cooler
Sources in the political circles told Nigerian Tribune that Buhari, who had given his word ahead of the 2011 elections that the election would be his last presidential contest has decided to keep his word, notwithstanding the pressure from some members of his party.
It was gathered that some members of Buhari’s caucus highlighted issues of age and reach of the CPC, which is limited to parts of the North as major impediment to his participation in the 2015 race.
While the former head of state agreed with that submission, initially, pressure from within his party and the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) apparently informed a turnaround some months back.
Sources said that the leader of the ACN, Senator Bola Tinubu, had met with Buhari and reiterated the need for them to work together so as to capture power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sources said that Buhari became so convinced about the Tinubu proposal that he practically took over the job of the CPC/ACN alliance talks committee.
Some members of the CPC, who were said to be wary of entering into a “blind” agreement with the Tinubu-led ACN, had cautioned against wholesale acceptance of the merger option and had insisted on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) before the merger agreement between the two parties could be reached.
Sources further confirmed that the confused state of things within the CPC first informed the delay in signing the MOU, with a section of the party believing that Buhari should not join the 2015 contest, while others who believed that the party cannot survive without Buhari’s father-figure felt that he should still contest election in 2015.
While the confusion lingered, sources said that unfolding developments appeared to have convinced the Buhari camp that the merger plan with the ACN would worsen the party’s woes.
For instance, a source said that leaders of the CPC had reinvented the fear of Tinubu, which informed the collapse of the merger talks between the two parties ahead of the 2011 elections.
The fear, according to sources, had to do with the belief that Tinubu’s ACN was double-dealing and that while they were holding meetings with Buhari’s CPC, some of the key men were also reaching out to the camp of President Goodluck Jonathan.
It was confirmed that Buhari appeared to have accepted the advice that he anoint a successor to the CPC presidential ticket in 2015 and that the party had settled for the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Though Buhari and Tinubu made a show of the CBN governor’s chieftaincy event in June, the CPC is said to have decided to adopt Sanusi as its own candidate in view of the distrust between the two parties.
It was also gathered that Sanusi has decided to give the contest a trial, while leaving his acclaimed interest in the Kano emirate stool in the cooler