Despite increase in the number of Political parties to ninety-one, it obvious that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the only political party that can wrestle power with All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2019 Presidential election scheduled to hold in February next year.
The main opposition party has twelve states governors at its disposal which gave the party ,which until its defeat in 2015 has been in the helms of Affairs of the country for 16 years needed resources to give the ruling party a serious fight during the election.
However, the continuous increase in the number of presidential aspirants contesting for the party’s ticket may jeopardize the chances of the PDP to give APC serious contest in the next Presidential election.
As at the time of filing this report , no fewer than Eleven aspirants have signified their interest to be the party’s flag bearer in February next years. Among them are Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Governor of Gombe state, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, Ibrahim Shekerau, former governor of Kadunna state, Ahmed Markarfi, former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido ,former governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa, and immediate past Senate President, David Mark.
Political observers are of the opinion that a political party which is coming out of its first Presidential defeat since 1999 do not need many presidential aspirants in order to be able to manage the fall out of presidential primaries of the party which is scheduled to hold on October 6, just four months to the presidential election.
Among the aspirants, the contenders and pretenders for the number one job in the country are analysis below
Senator David Mark
Senator David Mark was former Military governor of Old Niger state and later became the Minister of Communication under former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida. He has been representing Benue South senatorial district since the inception of current political dispensation and he is the only Senate President that spent eight years without any interruption in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2015.
Mark, a retired Brigadier General is from North Central and also as a Christian from the North may not be able to have his way at the presidential primaries of the party, because of many reasons like his acceptability among the stakeholders in the party most especially governors who will prefer one of their own to get the ticket of the party on October 6.
However, Senator Mark aspiration might be a strategy to opt out of politics as it is discovered that Mark had given Benue South Senatorial ticket to his godson, Abba Moro. Moro has already picked the Senatorial ticket as at the time of filing this report.
Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was the number two citizen between 1999- 2007. He was the presidential aspirant in 1992 under the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) before he stepped down for late Chief Moshood Abiola. Atiku has foot soldiers who can propagate his campaign effectively across the nooks and crannies of county.
He is perceived as the only presidential aspirant that can match the ruling party with money for money.
But, his greatest undoing is irreconcilable difference between him and his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo whose new party the African Democratic Congress(ADC), is expected to lead their campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari. Obasanjo in one of his interviews said that God will not forgive him , if he supported Atiku’s Presidency.
Secondly,PDP governors may not be comfortable with his candidacy because if he cannot be trusted, he is seen as serial defector who is desperate to become President. Also, the popular believe that Atiku is corrupt will be a big minus for him when the campaign started.
Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state has a large followership in the North East and North West. He has a movement popularly known as kwankwasiya movement. A red camp movement politician,he has many hurdles to cross to get the presidential ticket of the party. Kwankwaso lacks structure that can mobilize for him in the Southern party of the country and he is not well acceptable in South East and South South , the stronghold of the party.
In the Senate, Kwankwaso does not have cordial relationship with many of his colleagues in the chamber and lack of immunity might be a big minus for him as the former governor has case to answer concerning the deduction of local governments fund in Kano state under his administration in the state.
Bukola Saraki
Saraki, a two term governor of kwara and the current Senate President, the former governor is very strategic and brilliant politically, but he has many major obstacles needed to overcome. His candidacy may be difficult to sell in the North East and North West and his political antecedent may spell doom for him across the country. Saraki like Atiku is perceived to be corrupt considering the number of corruption cases on his table ranging from collapse of Societal Generale under his watch, Panama papers and also fingered by the Transparency International as one of the politicians in possession of Unexplainable Wealth. Some people see Saraki as a professional Presidential aspirant who will later negotiate with any Presidential aspirant that will succumb to his bidding.
A source closed to the Senate President revealed that Saraki has a second plan of returning to Senate and become Senate President for the second time.
Read also: 2019: PDP hallucinating on defections
Senator Ahmed Makarfi
Makarfi ruled the Kaduna state between 1999-2007, and he has good record as a former governor and also as a former Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria. He took over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when the party was heading for destruction and rebuild it before he handed it over to Prince Uche Secondus.
But, Makarfi candidacy might not be acceptable by the power broker in PDP because , he lacks resources to push his aspiration and also he is not somebody that can be easily manipulated by the power broker in the PDP.
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal
The former Speaker of House of Representatives and the current Governor of Sokoto state . it was gathered that Tambuwal is the candidate of the power broker in the PDP to emerge as the Presidential candidate of the ruling party, Tambuwal closeness to the Governor of Rivers state, Nyeson Wike is a big plus for his presidential aspiration. The governors in the party might work for realisation of his aspiration because he is one of their own and also have the resources to pursue his aspiration.
But, Tambuwal candidacy might polarized the party if not properly managed and also his acceptability in the North is also questionable due to the Buhari influence in the region. Apart from the North, he has scores to settle with South West. Tambuwal scuttled the ambition of Femi Gbajabiamila to become the speaker of House of Representatives and also kicked against the zoning of Speakership position to South West by PDP in 2011, a situation that frustrated the emergence of Honorable Adeola Akande as the Speaker of the House.
Ibrahim Dankwanbo
Dankwanbo, a current Governor of Gombe who has a good record of performance , but Dankwanbo is not seen as a strong contender in the party and he may eventually pick senatorial ticket of the party through back door.
Sule Lamido
Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa state who did well as the governor of the state on several occasions has said that he can defeat Buhari in the North , Although he failed to delivered his state to PDP in 2015. Lack of resources and corruption case that is hanging on him with his two sons might spell a doom for him at the party’s primaries.
Other contestant like Senator Jona Jang, Bafarawa, Shekerau and all seen as pretenders for the presidential race because they lack resources to pursue their aspirations and also have ongoing corruption cases with anti-graft agency.
