In recent times, supporters of the
former head of state have been
campaigning for his adoption as the
consensus candidate of the party for
the February 14, 2015 presidential
election.

However, with the party’s reluctance
to follow the example of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), which has
already adopted President Goodluck
Jonathan as its sole candidate,
Buhari’s supporters are now pushing
for other candidates to voluntarily
withdraw for him.
Loyalists of Buhari have been holding
meetings with Kwankwaso to
persuade him to step aside and allow
the push for a northern consensus
candidate to face Jonathan.

Also, Kwankwaso, who will leave office
as governor of Kano state in 2015, is
seen as someone who could
provide valuable logistical help to
Buhari in the presidential primary if it
becomes a direct contest between
Buhari and former Vice-President
Atiku Abubakar.

Buhari is very popular in Kano, where
he won in 2003, 2007 and 2011, but
the primary is an indirect election and
Kwankwaso is in control most of the
Kano delegates.

“Basically, we know that Kwankwaso
is not really interested in being
president. He just wants to be
relevant at the federal level after
leaving office as governor, and this is
one assurance he can get if Buhari
wins,” an associate of Buhari told
TheCable.

A member of Kwankwaso’s cabinet
confirmed that there is pressure on
the governor to step down but said it
is “premature” to reach conclusions
now.
According to him, supporters of Buhari
in Kano are not making it easy for
Kwankwaso and this has to be sorted
out first.

There is a crisis in the Kano chapter
of APC, with those who defected from
PDP forming one camp and are
pitched against the legacy parties that
formed APC.

The merger of Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC), Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
produced APC, but the new entity had
settled down when Kwankwaso
defected from PDP and took over APC
in the state, thereby sparking off
internal controversy.

Former governor, Mallam Ibrahim
Shekarau, left APC following the crisis
and is now in the PDP and is currently
minister of education.
But this has not resolved the internal
dispute.

While those from the legacy parties
are supporting Buhari, the PDP
defectors, who belong to the
Kwankwasiyya movement, are backing
Kwankwaso.

Former military governor Jaafaru Isa,
Bello Isa Bayero, who both came from
CPC, as well as Ibrahim Ali Amin
(“Little”), Alhaji Magaji Abdullahi, who
was deputy governor to Shekarau, are
pushing for the candidacy of Buhari.
Former presidential candidate in the
third republic, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, and
former minister of labour, Alhaji Musa
Gwadabe, are with Kwankwaso.

The governor has also the backing of
other key APC members such as
Haruna Dan Zago, Yusuf Chiroma
Kutama, former deputy governor
Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, and former
MD of Nigerian Ports Authority, Aminu
Dabo.

thecable.ng/pressure-kwankwaso-withdraw-buhari

nigerianvenom:
we are not suprise,afterall,buhari has never contested in any primary elections before.

in 2003,despite the cash spent by rochas to rehabilitate ANPP,he was pushed out by ANPP's mini- gods to ensure buhari contested.in 2011,when he realised that mallam shekarau wasnt a push over in the then ANPP,he quickly ran away and formed the CPC,all these he did in other to avoid bin thrashed during the primaries.

he has taken same idealogy to the APC,kwankwaso might step down for him,but lets wait and see how "almighty" Atiku will step down for the crying major General.

donphilopus:
“Kwankwaso is not interested in becoming the President of Nigeria come 2015, but he just wanna be relevant in Nigerian Politics.” - I love this part.

And I wanna let those of you thinking Atiku can win Buhari in the primaries know that it ain't possible. Buhari has done it before and he would do it again. Why was Ikimi forced to step down for Oyegun during the last convention?! Is it not because he was for Atiku?! No sane fellow would ever vote Atiku cos they all know that he's a political prostitute.
I would like APC to involve Obasanjo in their primaries and see how Atiku would be disgraced out with his money. It happened in 2010, and it would repeat itself in this 2014. He can't even win Buhari in his state [Adamawa]. His candidate who claimed he has not formally defected from PDP to APC in the Senate House lost the primaries to the guy from Buhari's camp. That shows us all that Atiku can't even control his state.
It's just a matter of time before Kwankwaso formally declares his support for Buhari. Atiku as usual may go back to PDP after the Primaries!

soroptimist:
All the Initial Gra Gra of Atiku means nothing in the scheme of things in APC

APC had already been formed before Atiku came to join and he doesnt even have the political clout and leverage to pick the Presidential ticket against Buhari

Buhari remains the only name people like me want to hear with regards to us supporting APC........and he remains the only one we can lend our resources and assets to without requesting for even one Kobo from him

Buhari has become a colossus and remains the only true and real grassroot political mobiliser which the likes of Atiku save for his money cant untie his shoe lace

We do not need Buhari's money because we are not TAN........We only need his integrity,discipline and incorruptibility