ANALYSIS… 2023: See five northern PDP heavy weights who may queue up for chairmanship position

The race to the 2023 elections will definitely throw up very interesting and fascinating scenarios in the wake of the zoning of the chairmanship post of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the North.

Ripples Nigeria had reported on Thursday that the PDP made this pronouncement via its chairman, Zoning Committee and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, after the meeting of the committee in Enugu.

According to Ugwuanyi, other posts within the Committee will be rotated amongst the zones as enshrined in the party’s constitution.

Going by the tradition of the party, if the national chairman is picked from the north, its presidential candidate will come from the south. However, this is not sacrosanct with a lot of concessions and politicking still ongoing among stakeholders.

Ugwuanyi said, “The mandate of the committee does not include zoning of offices of the president, vice president, and other executive and legislative offices of the federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The decision of the committee to zone the offices of the party does not in any way affect the same executive and legislative offices in Nigeria. The zoning of offices on PDP has traditionally been between the North and the South of Nigeria.

“The decision of the PDP zoning committee is in line with the constitution of the party on zoning, and rotation of party, and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.

“Consequently, the current offices being held by officers in the southern zone of the country, namely south-west, south-east and south-south zone should swap places with offices currently in the northern zone of Nigeria namely north-west north-east, north-central zones,” the governor addressed a press briefing.

Ripples Nigeria has pencilled a number of viable candidates of Northern extraction who may likely vie for the chairmanship post.

ATTAHIRU BAFARAWA

Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (born 4 November 1954) is a Nigerian politician who was the executive governor of Sokoto State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.

In 1999, he was elected governor of Sokoto State on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and was re-elected for the ANPP in 2003 before his defection to the PDP where he vied for the presidency in 2019.

He also founded the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and became its presidential candidate at the 2007 presidential elections in Nigeria.

However, he has spoken against the issue of presidential zoning, describing it as ill-timed due to tensions across the country.

His alliance with the Sokoto and North-West bloc might work in his favour regarding his chances as the next PDP Chairman.

Nonetheless, Bafarawa was enmeshed in allegations of financial misappropriation over the theft of about $2.1 billion arms money which led to a disavowal from the PDP in 2015.

SULE LAMIDO

 

Sule Lamido served as Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor of Jigawa State in April 2007.

He is a member of the former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and ran successfully for re-election on 26 April 2011 while vying for the Presidency during the 2019 general elections.

Before the decision to zone the chairmanship position to the North, members of the PDP in Bamaina in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa had urged Lamido to contest for the 2023 presidency.

In a recent interview, the former Jigawa governor blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP for the problems bedevilling the country.

According to him, the country’s growing problems are borne out of the lust for political and sectional gains rather than national interests as exhibited by leaders of the two dominant parties.

Lamido stated that his party may turn out worse if sectionalism, regional loyalty, and a host of other things remain dominant rather than zeal for a progressive nation.

He has a very strong profile and nationwide appeal which might boost his chances of being the PDP chairman.

In 2018, Lamido was arraigned alongside two of his sons – Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido; Aminu Wada Abubakar, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd for allegedly defrauding the state to the tune of N1.35 billion.

He allegedly abused his position as governor between 2007 and 2015 by awarding contracts to companies where he had interest, using his two sons as fronts

RABIU KWANKWASO

Arguably, the highest-profile Northern politician eligible to vie for the PDP chairmanship, he might hinge his bets on being elected to pilot the affairs of the opposition party in the run-up to the 2023 elections.

Kwankwaso was the governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015. After he lost his re-election in 2003, he was appointed the Minister of Defence from 2003 to 2007. He was later elected to the Senate in 2015, serving one term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kano Central Senatorial District.

In 2011, he was re-elected governor of the state and went on to join the APC in 2014. In 2015, Kwankwaso contested the presidential primaries under the opposition APC but lost to Muhammad Buhari. In 2018, he returned to the PDP and contested the presidential primaries losing out to Atiku Abubakar.

Ripples Nigeria had reported in April how the PDP suspended Kwankwaso, for his alleged involvement in the disruption of the party’s recent North-west zonal congress in Kaduna State.

Read also: ANALYSIS: How disobedience of court orders weaken rule of law, human rights in Nigeria

The main subject of the dispute was the position of zonal National Vice-Chair, where the factions in Kano of Mr Kwankwaso and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, presented different candidates.

However, in a recent BBC Hausa interview, he refuted any knowledge behind the internal crisis bedevilling the party which could potentially destroy the party.

His popularity and the zealotry of his Kwankwasiyya movement means he is a huge factor in the race for the chairmanship post.

In August 2021, Ripples Nigeria had reported that the former Governor was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged diversion of local government funds amounting to N3.08 billion.

BUKOLA SARAKI

Bukola Saraki was the 13th President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2015 to 2019. He was previously the Governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011; and was elected to the Senate in 2011, under the PDP, representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District, and then re-elected in the 2015 general elections under the platform of the APC.

He left the ruling party, and returned to his former party, the PDP becoming an opposition leader, on 31 July 2018.

Saraki declared his presidential campaign for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election but lost the primaries to Atiku Abubakar.

He has advocated for the inclusion of more youths in all tiers of governance as contained in his Independence Day speech.

The former Kwara governor further said the conversation Nigerians should have ahead of the forthcoming general election should be about the quality of leadership they want.

“I think what we have not been able to get right is leadership values. I think what we need to talk about is quality of leadership,” he said.

His widespread appeal across all zones and his dalliance with crucial stakeholders even within the opposition APC where he still has some loyalists might swing the tide in his favour regarding the chairmanship position.

Saraki’s emergence as the Senate President during the last Assembly was under controversial circumstances as it was alleged that the Senate rules book that was used for the conduct of the June 2015 election of the Senate was doctored.

Saraki, his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and two others were docked over alleged forgery with the case unresolved.
He also had issues with the Code of Conduct Tribunal, where he was accused of false assets declaration during his time as governor of Kwara State.

IBRAHIM SHEMA

Ibrahim Shema was elected Governor of Katsina State during the 2007 general elections. He was re-elected for another four-year term on 28 April 2011, running on the PDP platform.

In 2005 when there was a crisis in the ruling PDP which led to the mass resignation of all the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to pave way for the caretaker Committee before the party’s National Convention, Shema was selected to replace Alhaji Iro Safana from Katsina, as PDP Deputy National Chairman (North).

He served in that capacity till 2007 when he became Katsina State PDP gubernatorial candidate and was subsequently elected as a governor.

Shema, before his election as governor in 2007, served as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Institute; chairman, National Disciplinary Committee of PDP, and also chairman, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency.

His ability to act as a troubleshooter while sticking with the party through various trying times might favour him especially with the gale of defections sweeping the political landscape.

In 2018, Shema was arraigned before a Federal High Court over alleged misappropriation of N5.7 billion under the then Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) but his aide insisted that the trial was politically motivated.

The governor was remanded in the custody of the EFCC on the order of the judge, Babagana Ashigar of the Federal High Court, Katsina.

Shema had denied the allegations contained in the 26-count charge.

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