In a recent installment of Laolu Akande’s “Inside Sources” on Channels TV, Former Zamfara State Governor and Senator Ahmed Yerima delved into the intricate circumstances surrounding his decision to step down for Gen Muhammadu Buhari in the 2007 race for the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential ticket.
Yerima exposed that his withdrawal from the presidential race was masterminded by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who enlisted the help of Gen Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) to orchestrate Yerima’s step-down in favor of eventual flagbearer Buhari.
Speaking on the Arewa Consultative Forum’s role, Yerima stated, “The Arewa Consultative Forum had a meeting in Kaduna and announced that they have endorsed President Muhammad Buhari as the sole candidate of the North. They set up a committee to go around to all the contestants of various political parties to ask us to please step down for Buhari so that the North can have a single candidate. They came to me, and I listened to them, and I said I’ll think over it.”
Yerima detailed Obasanjo’s intervention, stating, “President Obasanjo made sure that he brought General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) to beg him to talk to me. He’s in PDP.”
Responding to Akande’s query about Obasanjo’s resistance to his run against Yar’Adua, Yerima confirmed, “Yeah, he didn’t want me to run against Yar’Adua because at that time the security report showed him, according to my information, because I had all the delegates in my hand except for Kano and Katsina that I left for Buhari.
“At that time, I had all the state chairmen of ANPP of all the 36 states and Abuja supporting me. The government knew that if I got the ticket, it was going to be a very difficult task for PDP to win for Yar’Adua to become the president.”
Yerima then narrated IBB’s involvement, stating, “Then Mr. Obasanjo sent an aircraft to bring IBB and requested him to please talk to me so that I can step down for Buhari. But I didn’t know until when I stepped down. Babangida sent Engineer Abdulkadir Kure, former governor of Niger State, and the former Governor of Sokoto State, who is still alive, Attahiru Bafarawa. They were sent to come to me to beg me to step down.”
When asked if General Buhari was aware, Yerima affirmed, “Yes, because IBB first called me and said Senator Yerima, I said yes sir IBB, I have your number. Then he said, you know I’ve never asked you for any favour in my life, I said yes sir. He said I’m going to ask you one favour. I said I’ve done it for you, sir. I didn’t know what favour he wanted to ask me. He said I will not tell you on the phone but I’m going to send Bafarawa and Engr Kure to you to inform you.”
The story unfolded with Yerima’s acceptance and announcement, leading to Buhari becoming the sole candidate. The night before the convention, Yerima informed the National Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, who was promised the Vice Presidential candidate. Buhari was later informed, expressing disbelief until Yerima’s official announcement at the convention.
“Immediately they left I went to the National chairman Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and told him that tomorrow I’m going to step down for Buhari. He said oh my God, he started dancing. I didn’t know that he was promised the Vice Presidential candidate.
“That night he told Buhari, who told me that he didn’t believe that issue until when I climbed the podium and announced that, because they changed the program at the convention venue Eagle Square, the time-table was that after the opening prayer, there will be National Chairman’s opening remark then all the candidates will start talking. But they changed it after opening prayer they said Yerima was going to speak interesting so they called me and asked me to talk, I announced my stepping down and I appealed to all other candidates. They did and Buhari became the only candidate.”
This revelation provides a rare glimpse into the political maneuvering that took place behind the scenes during the 2007 presidential race in Nigeria.
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