The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, on Tuesday told Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema to forget his rumoured ambition for vice president and run for Senate instead.Anenih was in Katsina, where a stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP was called with the governor and top party leaders in attendance.
The stakeholders and reconciliation meeting was said to have ended abruptl...y as Anenih, after listening to submissions from most of the stakeholders who called on him to prevail on the president to replace vice president Namadi Sambo with Shema was said to have told the gathering that President Jonathan has made up his mind to run with Sambo in 2015.
A source at the meeting said that the statement did not go down well with most of the people present and the meeting was quickly rounded off. Guests did not even take the dinner that was served at the occasion.
The source added that before Anenih spoke, several speakers took time to eulogise Shema on his achievements harping on the need for President Jonathan to replace Sambo with Shema.
The source said Anenih explained to those at the meeting that there’s no precedence within the party to support changing Sambo as running mate.
He was said to have explained that even when President Obasanjo was having a running battle with his vice, he never contemplated replacing him.
Shema had, according to the source, told the gathering that he places his belief in God and destiny as what is destined shall definitely.
Shema’s supporters have for long been agitating that President Jonathan should replace Sambo with him as his running mate for the 2015 general elections.
A top official of the Katsina State government, however, told our reporter that Anenih later called the governor to apologise over the way and manner he spoke at the occasion.
Special Assistant to Shema on public affairs, Abdulhamid Danjuma, said he is not aware of what happened at the meeting as he went out when it went into closed door. “To be honest with you I don’t know if such a thing was discussed,” he said.
Those at the meeting include Senator Walid Jibrin, Sen. Joy Emodi, Engr A A Kure, Sen. Mike Ejiofor, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Ebele Obadi and Gen A.B. Mamman.