Atiku, Kwankwanso set to announce bid for APC presidential ticket

The shape of the battle for the presidential ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun to form, with old war horse, former vice-presi¬dent, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, set to launch his bid on September 24.
The incumbent Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwanso, who said he is consulting, is also said to be just bidding for the right time to announce his ambition.
Also, some persuasions within the party are said to be pushing for candidacy of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwaal, whom his dalliance with the opposition party is an open secret, though he is yet to decamp fro his party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)..
It is being speculated that he might be paired on a ticket with the Lagos State Governor Babantude Fashola, whose outstanding performance during his first term as the governor of the metropolitan Lagos endeared him to many across party lines.
Before now, APC’s ticket was thought to be Gen Muhammed Buhari’s for picking. Buhari’s solid performance in his previous three attempts makes him the top favourite.
Although the former military head of state had earlier vacated his earlier retirement from presidential bid, his camp has been largely quite about 2015 of late.
Atiku is billed to for¬mally make a declaration for the presidential ticket of the main opposition party in the country, ahead of the party’s presidential convention which is expected to hold in November.
A state¬ment from his media aide, Garba Shehu in Abuja at the weekend, announced that Atiku’s declaration will hold in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Although the statement did not reveal the venue of the formal declaration, it disclosed that former Aviation Minister, Profes¬sor Babalola Borisade will anchor Atiku’s campaign.
Recall that the former Aviation Minister worked for the victory of the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and thereafter, the late Chief M.K.O. Abi¬ola on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1991 and 1993, respectively.
Borisade also worked as the strategist for President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and 2003 elections, both of which were won resoundingly by the PDP.
The APC chieftain was the presidential candidate of the defunct Action Con¬gress in 2007 and lost the election to the PDP can¬didate, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Atiku returned to the PDP in 2010 and contested for the party’s presidential ticket for the 2011 election which he lost to President Goodluck Jonathan.
He dumped the ruling party this year and joined the APC, claiming alien¬ation from the activities of the strategic organs of the PDP as the reason for his defection.
Offering an insight into why he was seeking the 2015 presidency, Atiku noted in the statement that his mission was to reform institutions of government and reconciling a nation torn apart by mutual ethnic distrust.
He said, “This is not about me; it is about our young people. It is about Nigerians. It is their future, not the past. It is about reforming govern¬ment, securing the people and reconciling the na-tion.. .
“2015 is special and a potential turning point in Nigeria’s history – that we need to seize the moment to give every Nigerian a chance to help re-define Nigeria as a place for them and their children to prosper and feel safe.”
The indication that Kwankwanso presidential bid is all but concluded came on Thursday when the Elders Commit¬tee (EC) of the Kano State Chapter of APC, which is firmly under his control, endorsed his presidential aspira¬tion.
The endorsement was announced via a communiqué issued at the end of elders’ meeting in the state capital, Thursday night.
EC’s chairman and sec¬retary, Ambassador Kabiru Rabiu and Comrade Saleh Jilly appealed to Nigerians from all walks of life to support his candidature.
The RAINBOW learnt that the persuasion in the party pushing Kwankwanso bid, hopes for a pairing of the Kano governor with the irrepressible Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amechi. Both of the men a common rabid antagonism to the incumbent federal administration headed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
But a pundit did not give the bid much chance to succeed since it is unlikely to get the approval of the Lord of the Manor in the party, Bola Tinubu. Besides, even if Kwankwanso were to be given a chance, a joint ticket with Amechi is not possible because both of them are decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the pundit added.
According to his permutations, whichever group Tinubu decides to support is likely to win the ticket. And according to him, it is not clear the former governor’s preference between Buhari and Tmbuwal.