PDP governors may be backed by Obasanjo come 2015

 A major intra-party contest for Nigeria’s presidency is set to emerge, as former president Olusegun Obasanjo has resolved to field a sitting governor from one of the northern states against President Goodluck Jonathan at the next Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries.

Sources close to the former leader disclosed to LEADERSHIP Weekend that Obasanjo has resolved to remain in the PDP to give President Jonathan a good fight for the PDP ticket at the party’s next convention by presenting either Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State or his Katsina State counterpart Ibrahim Shema for the 2015 race.

It was learnt that Obasanjo had prevailed on Lamido not to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with the G-5 governors in order to slug it out with President Jonathan if he declares his ambition for a second term. LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that Shema would only come in if Lamido, who was foreign affairs minister during Obasanjo’s presidency, became lukewarm because of the presidency’s use of EFCC’s operatives to hunt him and his sons over alleged N10billion fraud. Shema came to the limelight when he was made PDP vice-chairman for the north-west during Obasanjo’s tenure.

Obasanjo allegedly favours Lamido against President Jonathan because he commands large following from the poor in the north known as the Talakawas from his days in NEPU, which was led by the late Aminu Kano. Lamido is also seen as widely accepted by his colleagues who are angry with the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur leadership of the PDP.

Before the defection of the G-5 governors to the PDP, the G-7 governors met with Obasanjo and other statesmen to intimate them about the internal squabbles in the ruling party with a view to nipping the feud in the bud.


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