Politics
The Race For 2027 Presidency Hots Up
Ahead of the 2027 race for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a major crisis is brewing within the party. And it is not looking good for the former vice president and standard bearer of the PDP at the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar. This is because three of PDP’s biggest heavy weights, including one of his closest political allies, Aminu Tambuwal....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
, are gearing up to dislodge him from the party and stop him from picking the party’s presidential ticket come 2027. This powerful trio include former governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Muhammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde. And from reports available to City People, they have concluded plans to team up and wrest the party’s ticket from the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Highly placed sources within the party informed our correspondent that though the three top politicians are yet to agree on who will be on the ballot as the standard bearer and the running mate, it is certain that they will work together as a team, as they have agreed to dislodge Atiku.
It was further gathered that Makinde is insisting on being the principal candidate because the plan is to remove a Yoruba man, as such, he is arguing that a fellow Yoruba man should be used to replace him. The sources also noted that Makinde has consistently said that if the agenda is to defeat the incumbent, President Bola Tinubu, who is a Yoruba man, then, someone from the same zone as Tinubu should be the candidate.
However, Tambuwal is rejecting the option of a second fiddle, saying that he was a governor before Makinde. “They have agreed definitely to pair but the only snag now is that the two are yet to agree on who will lead the joint ticket. Makinde is claiming that a Yoruba man must replace Tinubu.
But Tambuwal is saying that it would be an insult for him as a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a two-term governor before Makinde, to be the running mate”. On the other hand, a section of the party is rooting for alliance between Makinde and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed.
Though the former Vice President, Atiku, who had been the party’s candidate for two consecutive times (2019 and 2023), is still eyeing the ticket, our correspondents gathered that he is about to be schemed out of the race by the governors. Insiders say the one person whose ambition has shocked Atiku the most is former Speaker Aminu Tambuwal whom he considered a brother and close political ally. Many will still recall how Aminu Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku at the PDP convention in 2022 and instructed his delegates to vote for Atiku, enabling Atiku to beat Wike, his closest contender to the ticket. Fast forward to 2024, the same Tambuwal is now aligning with others to scheme Atiku out of the ticket. And going by feelers reaching us from the Atiku camp, the former vice president is not finding this development the least amusing. To him, it is nothing short of a betrayal, considering that he expected that he and Tambuwal were supposed to be protecting the northern interest together.
Party sources who blamed the unhealthy relationship in PDP on Atiku’s ambition, wondered why he does not want to mentor any of his supporters to step into his shoes. Makinde and Mohammed are in their second term in office, which expires in 2027.
The Bauchi governor contested the PDP presidential primary in 2022, which Atiku eventually won. “But we knew it was a gamble; he was not serious; he was more interested in finishing his second term as governor.
That was why he made one of his commissioners a placeholder,” the source said. Mohammed is now the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum while Makinde is Deputy Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the umbrella body of Nigerian governors PDP governors have resumed their monthly meetings, which were halted because of the 2022 post-presidential primary.
This, the source further disclosed, was an indication that the governors wanted one of them to pick the party’s presidential ticket. Arguing this would have been achieved in 2022 if Tambuwal had not stepped down for Atiku, the source said:
“Even though four governors contested the primary, it would have been difficult for Atiku to beat Wike.” Four of the PDP governors then -Mohammed, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers), contested the primary, while Ifeanyi Okowa, then Delta State governor, later became Atiku’s running mate.
“Makinde at the moment is the new face of PDP. He practically funds every activity in the party, as was the case when Wike was Rivers State governor”, another source said, revealing that the Oyo State governor provided the funds for the party to rent the Asokoro office of the party, the training arm of the party, as well as its renovation and furnishing, and funded the recruitment of the Director General of the institute.
“He is the one the party looks up to in everything. I am not surprised he demands to be given the presidential ticket. Another thing that is going for Makinde is because he is from South West, the same zone with President Bola Tinubu, ,” the party source stated.
The source said PDP may go for a candidate who will split the president’s stronghold. This might have been the reason why the party’s primary for the October governorship election in Ondo was crisis-free.
“We already have two states in the South West. If PDP can add Ondo State, we are sure of the South West in 2027. Of course, the South East is a no-go area for APC. If not because of the Labour Party, South East and SouthSouth are for us. But we have not given up,” he said.
Tambuwal and Mohammed are however banking on Northerners’ disaffection with Tinubu’s administration. While Tambuwal is claiming executive seniority, having been a Speaker and governor before the other two, Mohammed is said to take pride in the fact that he has remained steadfast with the PDP, even when people from the region were leaving the party after PDP lost the 2015 presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Mohammed has remained faithful to the party. The governor has said that the only thing that would stop him from contesting the next presidential election is if former President Goodluck Jonathan accepts to run”.
– WALE LAWAL (08037209290)
Military and security officials in Benin Republic have apprehended approximately a dozen soldiers, including the key ringleaders, following a failed coup attempt. Sources revealed that 13 individuals were detained, most of whom are active military personnel, with one former soldier among the suspects.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The arrests came after a group of officers, calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on national television on Sunday morning, claiming to have removed President Patrice Talon and dissolved all state institutions. The officers asserted that they had seized control of the government.
The presidency, however, confirmed that President Talon is safe and that loyalist forces are restoring order. Authorities described the coup attempt as the work of “a small group” with limited reach, adding that the city and the country remain secure.
Regional bloc ECOWAS has condemned the attempted takeover, describing it as a serious and unacceptable challenge to the democratic will of the people. In a statement issued in Abuja, the Commission called for strict adherence to the country’s Constitution and praised the efforts of the government and the Republican Army in regaining control. ECOWAS warned that the plot’s leaders would be held accountable for any loss of life or property arising from their actions and reaffirmed its full support for Benin, including potential deployment of the regional standby force if necessary.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar met with ex-President Goodluck Jonathan at his residence in Abuja on Saturday. According to reports, Atiku shared the update on his handle on Sunday, noting that the visit followed Jonathan’s recent return from Guinea-Bissau.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
While specific details of their discussions were not disclosed, the meeting is widely interpreted as part of preparatory consultations ahead of the 2027 elections. Atiku described the encounter as a pleasure, stating, “It was a pleasure catching up with former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday evening, following his recent return from Guinea-Bissau.”
Separately, Atiku’s Senior Political Assistant, Olarenwaju, attributed the former Vice President’s actions against Jonathan in 2015 to a breach of a gentleman’s agreement. Speaking during an Space discussion titled “APC Must Go,” Olarenwaju explained that his alignment with Atiku was motivated by a broader vision for Nigeria’s progress. He said, “Most of the answers I’m going to give tonight are not just based on my deliberations with Atiku, they are based on my desire for a better Nigeria. At the end of the day, if Nigeria is better, my life is better and easier as a Nigerian. So I only find myself with Atiku; in 2015, I didn’t find myself with Atiku, I found myself on the side of Goodluck Jonathan.”
According to reports, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, was conferred with the prestigious chieftaincy title of Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodu’a during a ceremony in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Sunday. The event, held at the Palace Square of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, coincided with the monarch’s 10th coronation anniversary.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Senator Tinubu arrived at the palace around 1 PM, greeted with fanfare and stringent security measures. She was received by Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his council of chiefs. The occasion drew an array of notable dignitaries, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
The installation ceremony proceeded with the attendance of numerous guests, celebrating both the First Lady’s new traditional title and the Ooni’s decade-long reign.
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