By EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor & DAPO AKINREFON

LAGOS - HIGH level political jostling for the Presidencylast night reached a climax with northern presidential candidates getting nearer to a consensus on the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Presidential Candidate, Maj Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

The consensus on Buhari followed the intervention of two former heads of state and a former vice president who met with a delegation of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, on the adoption of a consensus presidential ticket against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The meeting was believed to have agreed on presenting Buhari as the common candidate of the CPC and ACN for weekend’s presidential poll.

President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP’s presidential candidate was himself not resting on his oars and was equally making efforts to break the resolve of the northern political leaders. The outcome of a meeting between President Jonathan and Ibrahim Babangida scheduled for yesterday was yet to be known at press time.

Jonathan, according to close associates, was also not seriously perturbed on the perceived gang_up and was presenting his unique achievements and the bandwagon of the party in last weekend’s National Assembly polls in pushing him to a conclusive victory.

Meeting between former heads of state

Vanguard gathered that the consensus on Buhari followed a meeting between the former heads of state and a delegation of the ACN that was said to include Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Adams Oshiomhole among others.

The meeting which took place mid afternoon in Abuja followed the decision of the ACN national caucus to engage Buhari in a dialogue on presenting a common front against the PDP in this weekend’s presidential contest.

ACN national caucus’ decision to engage Buhari was reached at an all night meeting that ended in the wee hours of yesterday.

Vanguard learnt that ACN national leader, Tinubu, had notified the caucus meeting that Buhari had sent two former heads of state and a former vice president (names withheld) to him on the adoption of a common platform against the PDP.

Tinubu had, according to some of his associates, rebuffed the emissaries as he noted that the decision was not for him. The former governor was indeed quoted as telling the delegation that everything must be placed on the table, to the intent that there must be full negotiations. He was said to have conveyed the request of the northern leaders to the ACN caucus meeting.

Vanguard further learnt that the request was immediately opposed by majority of the senior party officials present at the meeting.

A stalwart of the ACN was also said to have recounted several efforts made by the ACN and the former Action Congress, AC, at establishing a working alliance with Buhari which he claimed were frustrated by the latter.

Asiwaju Tinubu it was learnt, however, pleaded repeatedly for a second chance for Buhari.

Following the pleas, the party officials, however, resolved that Buhari must come along with the delegation of the former leaders to state his terms. That meeting took place mid afternoon and a breakthrough on a consensus was reportedly reached.

The ACN delegation was making its report known to the party’s national caucus which was meeting for the second time at press time yesterday.

Original proposals

One of the original proposals offered at the first meeting with Tinubu, according to informed sources, was the offer of ministerial and ambassadorial positions to the ACN. That offer it was learnt was roundly shot down at the first ACN national caucus that ended yesterday.

It was learnt that one of the conditions being canvassed by some ACN national officers was the position of vice president in the proposed Buhari presidency. That condition it was learnt would require a pre-dated letter of resignation from the CPC’s presidential running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

Pastor Bakare’s willingness to go along with that plan was as at press time uncertain.

President Jonathan forging ahead

Meanwhile, President Jonathan was on his part forging ahead by trying to present himself as a national candidate and riding on the successes achieved since the advent of his administration nearly one year ago.
Presidential minders were equally buoyed by the successes achieved by the PDP in the Northwest that had until recently been regarded as a stronghold of Buhari’s CPC.

A presidential aide told Vanguard yesterday: “President Jonathan is not riding on any sectional sentiment and you know that he cannot rely on Bayelsa but you and I can see the national consensus that is building up around him.

“Nigerians like the electoral success that we saw last Saturday and nobody but President Jonathan can take the credit for that. Since we started elections as an independent nation you know we have not seen the kind of thing that we saw last Saturday, that is part of the legacy of a new Nigeria that the President is building.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/presidential-election-acn-nears-accord-with-buhari/