- … As Buhari dumps party gladiators
By Madu Onuorah
Last Tuesday’s defection of the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is causing a disquiet in the two main political parties.
While the PDP is livid with anger over the Governor’s move especially his reason of accusing the PDP of injustice against the South East geopolitical zone despite the region’s support and contributions to the party, the APC his new home is worried over his real agenda of coming.
All the 2023 gladiators in APC are concerned that Governor Umahi’s move might disrupt their calculations as regards their Presidential ambitions.
Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) gathered authoritatively that the raging rumour of Governors Buni/Umahi 2023 Presidential ticket combination has been raising serious concerns within the party circles.
Even though the party is yet to zone their Presidential ticket, the combination subsists either way the party decides to zone it. For example, if APC zones the Presidency to the South, Umahi runs with Buni as running mate, and vice versa if the Presidency remains in the North.
The real worry for the 2023 gladiators is derived from the fact that the Buni/Umahi combination may have the blessing of President Muhammadu Buhari and his kitchen cabinet.
Our source said that President Buhari is not looking the way of the “ramble rousers” both in the North and the South in his party and may have resolved to give power to the extremely disadvantaged areas of both the North and the South.
GUN learnt that although they could not confirm the rumour, the top Presidential aspirants in the party for 2023 – Asiwaju Ahmad Tinubu, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Chief Rochas Okorocha, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, Babatunde Fashola and Malam Nasir El-Rufai are watching with keen interest how a new entrant into the party will be more favored than them, after all their huge contributions to the party particularly Buhari Presidency.
The development, our source said, is going to affect the performance of the Governor Buni-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the party as it is obvious now that the Yobe State Governor is using the position to fester his own interests.
GUN gathered that Governor Buni has been all over the country claiming to be seeking unity of the party while in truth he is pursuing his own agenda.
His latest move of updating the membership register of the party is seen as a devious strategic move to dislodge other competitors from their control of the party structures and delegates.
This move was discovered by the Bola Tibubu group who presently controls majority of the party structure across the country and they approached the court who granted them injunction stopping the Buni team.