Buhari set to pick Tinubu as running mate
Written by Leon Usigbe

AN agreement has been reached between the defeated All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate in the last presidential election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and two-term governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu to contest next year’s election in a joint ticket under the proposed mega party if the idea eventually materializes.

Indications have emerged in Abuja that both men have struck an understanding for the Katsina State-born General Buhari to run as the presidential candidate, while Senator Tinubu woul be his running mate as the obstacle posed by the presence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has apparently fizzled out with his preference to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Sunday Tribune gathered that General Buhari and Senator Tinubu expressed relief when it became known that the former vice president had opted out of the Mega Summit Movement (MSM) in an attempt to return to the PDP.

A source confirmed to the Sunday Tribune that General Buhari had recently been circumspect about his participation in the movement largely because of the involvement of Atiku, whom he feared could betray the cause of the movement.

“Buhari has been shying away from the mega party because of Atiku. That is why as soon as Atiku decided to return to the PDP, Buhari came back to work with the movement in full,” the source revealed.

It was gathered that a potential point of contention between the two former leaders had been how to resolve the issue of who becomes the presidential candidate for the eventual mega party as both of them were keenly interested in becoming the flag bearer.

Sunday Tribune found out that the exit of Atiku from the movement made it almost a certainty for General Buhari and Senator Tinubu to be the flag bearers and were consequently working towards a joint presidential ticket for the election.

It was also understood that both men were buoyed by the dispositions of former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae and Professor Pat Utomi, who were said to be leaning towards the Labour Party (LP) as their membership of the MSM, which could have been another formidable obstacle to the Buhari/Tinubu ticket, has also been eliminated.

Investigation revealed that one of the highlights of last Wednesday’s meeting of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) in Abuja was also an agreement for the Buhari-led Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Tinubu’s faction of the Action Congress (AC) to come together to contest the presidency in the forthcoming election.

However, fears have been raised about the perception of the electorate over a Muslim-Muslim ticket which such cooperation would engender in a country that was thought to be sensitive to matters of religious balancing in appointive and political offices.

Before Wednesday’s meeting in Abuja, which was also attended by former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, there had been suggestions that the former Lagos governor was eyeing the vice presidential slot of the country as according to Olanusi Ojomale, the Chairman of Lagos State AC at a recent function, Senator Tinubu would emerge as the number two citizen of the country soon.

Reacting to the development, General Buhari noted that there was nothing wrong with a joint ticket between him and Senator Tinubu but was quick to point out that the situation had not got to that level because the necessary political platform was not yet in place.

According to the spokesman of his personal political platform, The Buhari Organization (TBO), Alhaji Buba Galadima, who spoke with the Sunday Tribune, “Buhari has to be a candidate first before picking a running mate but if he gets the ticket and Tinubu obliges him, what is wrong?”

He pointed out that they had not applied for registration yet as a political party saying that if presidential candidate and his running mate emerged before the party was formed, it may discourage people from joining the party.

“If we do that, nobody will come. They will leave Buhari and Tinubu alone,” the TBO spokesman declared.


http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/735-buhari-set-to-pick-tinubu-as-running-mate.html

On what party?

where did they hold their primary?

What are their policies and what do they agree on?

If this is the look of change from PDP, it is simply not worth it.

Buhari caries himself as if he has a divine right to run Nigeria. He joined Mega Party because he wanted that as a platform for his ambition. When it emerged that Atiku was also interested he moved to attempt to form CPC. Now that Atiku is on the verge of going back to PDP Buhari is all of a sudden talking about returning to Mega Party.

So for Buhari and Atiku, their adventures have not been about deepening democracy or providing a more democratic alternative to PDP. For them it is either their way or the highway.

But the unfortunate truth is that if the North even want to be taken seriously in the scheme of things come 2011 they must look beyond Buhari, IBB, Atiku.