By
Olalekan Adigun
… continued from last week
Post-primary campaign management
Since their emergence as party candidates, both Atiku and Tinubu do not appear to have managed their post-primary campaign management. Atiku has selected the mantra of “Unifier”, a war cry on which his campaign was based.
His party published a 326-member PCC list on September 16. Since the party’s announcement of PCC composition, some key party figures have distanced themselves from its activities for various reasons.
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The PDP flagged off its presidential campaign in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, on Monday, 3 October. Five governors elected under the party’s platform shunned the event during the flag-off. They include Governors: Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Ifeanyi Ugwunayi of Enugu State.
These governors recently pulled out of the party’s presidential campaign team after the party failed to meet their demand for the removal of the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
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Earlier, Wike’s group had called a press conference to state that they would not take part in the PCC-related activities if their demands were not met.
Dr. Sam Amadi who was appointed as Director of Research in the PCC, rejected the appointment.
Dr. Amadi, the Director, of Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts (ASSPT), wrote in a letter dated October 10 and addressed to Tambuwal, Director-General of the PCC, said he belongs to a number of organisations where he is expected to be non-partisan.
According to him, “The decision to decline the offer has stemmed from the conflicts of interest emanating from various responsibilities in which I act as a leader of different platforms where political neutrality and objectivity are required of me.”
Checks reveal that Dr Amadi is a former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) – a position he got under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. There is also no evidence of him resigning his membership in the PDP in recent times. This appears to contradict Amadi’s claim of non-partisanship.Â
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Amadi’s decision to decline the offer may be unconnected with fears of facing the backlash those South-East politicians who endorsed anyone other than the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have faced in recent time.
Within the APC, there are noticeable cracks within the ranks of the party as some key ministers and party chieftains have refused to endorse the presidential candidate of the APC ahead of the 2023 elections.
For instance, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, craftily avoided endorsing Tinubu for the 2023 presidency, leading to wild speculations that many party chieftains were not supporting his ambition.
Geo-political and ethno-religious influences
In nearly every presidential election, the question of zoning always comes up. The responses from our respondents also reflect this pattern. There have been consistent demands for a president of South-East extraction in 2023. Unfortunately, the two major political parties refused zoning the presidency to the region.
Atiku is currently battling with powerful forces who think that the PDP’s zoning arrangements need to be addressed. The forces are of the view that the party’s National Chairman and presidential candidate cannot come from the same zone in a complex society like Nigeria.
In what looked like both factions meeting a middle ground, Senator Walid Jibrin of Nasarawa state resigned his position as chairman of the party’s BoT of Trustees in favor of Senator Adolpus Wabara of Abia state. The party’s Governor Forum chairman, Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto state, also resigned to be replaced by Makinde from Oyo state. The decisions preceded the party’s 97th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting the same day. Despite these, the Wike’s camp doesn’t appear pacified.
Tinubu’s campaign has had its fair share of hurdles. The party’s decision to select the former Governor of Borno state, Senator Kashim Shettima, as running mate has not gone down well with many Christian faithful. Since religion still plays a decisive role in national politics, several Christian bodies have vowed to mobilize against the Tinubu candidacy over what they tagged the “Muslim-Muslim ticket.”
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, both Christians, appear to have kept their distance from Tinubu’s campaign altogether.
…to be concluded next week