It is all over. Muhammadu Buhari has beaten Atiku Abubakar to the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was a fairly predictable outcome, but in politics 24 hours could make all the difference.
Fears in Buhari’s camp that Atiku could get the ticket had heightened as the convention approached, but any doubt about where the pendulum would swing disappeared on Wednesday when 12 governors met and endorsed Buhari for the ticket.
Atiku had his own strategy, hoping that his extensive nationwide tour and rounded experience in party primaries would swing the game in his favour ─ moreso as there are only 14 APC governors, meaning other states were there for the taking. But his strategy did not work out. Buhari carried the day.
Atiku did not even come second – that slot went to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, governor of Kano state, who surprised everybody by his big showing.
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How did Buhari do it? Or, rather, how did Buhari’s supporters do it? TheCable gives you a lowdown.
Tinubu’s 10 meetings in 4 hours
Bola Tinubu, APC national leader, played a major role in galvanising support for Buhari among thousands of delegates. TheCable had reported as far back as October that Tinubu had thrown his weight behind the retired general, and despite all the intrigues that eventually ensued ─ with the possible candidature of Aminu Tambuwal, the speaker of the house of representatives, showing up along the way ─ the former governor of Lagos state still stuck to his Plan A.
Tinubu and Atiku are battle-tested. They know each other very well, from the days of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) led by the later Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. PDM were reputed as masters of delegate votes. Tinubu and Atiku needed to cancel each other out to determine whose camp would pick the ticket. The stage was set on Tuesday as delegates started arriving Lagos from different parts of the country.
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To checkmate Atiku, Tinubu got all the governors in his camp to team up with the governors in Buhari’s camp. They met with him at his office on Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island, Lagos, till the early hours of Wednesday, where all the details were worked out. In the next four hours, Tinubu criss-crossed Lagos, holding meetings with key delegates, some via teleconference. In total, he held 10 meetings within four hours to finalise the voting in favour of Buhari.
Most of the meetings, which took place over the phone, were held at Eko Hotel, Lagos governor’s residence at Isaac John, Ikeja, Tinubu’s residence at Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, and Lagos House, Marina, where key officials and delegates were gathered together for negotiation. Significantly, Atiku’s supporters were left out of the meetings.
29 comments
Superb analysis. More like a journalistic work. Thanks
what role did Obasanjo’s book played? what are the other reasons? its either your title is misleading or your write up is not detail
Yes,no reference to the book. Maybe it is a mistake.
This is a reference to the book in Obasanjo vs Atiku: “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not a supporter of Buhari ─ they have been political opponents since 1999 ─ but he would prefer Buhari to Atiku, whom he took to the cleaners in his latest memoirs, My Watch. Obasanjo had nothing terribly bad to say about Buhari in the book, but he savaged Atiku ruthlessly.”
Very analytical. Good investigative journalism ….in flowing prose.
Good result. The stories looks incomplete as the impact of others are not included or highlighted in the write-up.
Very nice analysis sir, for now Buhari remain the only understanding Nigerian many believe he can captain the ship (Nigeria).
OBJ SPEAKS ON GMB:
“Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is an upright
man. Not many people know that his first
daughter is married to an Igbo man from
Anambra. He exempted Christians from
performing duty on Sundays.
When his Muslim soldiers asked him to
exempt them from duty on Friday, he told
them the bible says Christians should rest
on the 7th day, the Muslims should show
him where the Koran says they should rest
on Fridays.”
As Head of State he slashed the number of
Muslim going on pilgrimage by 50%. His
driver and cook for the past 10 years plus
are Christians yet some uninformed
Nigerians say he is a bigot. It is a pity that
some people failed to understand that PDP
deliberately capitalised on the gullibility of
Nigerians to paint him black.
This they did in order to keep their loot and
ensure that he never gets the opportunity to
send them to goal.
How many Nigerians would hold the
appointment of government, minister of
petroleum, PTF chairman and head of state
yet don’t own a house in Abuja? He has
only one house and never kept a foreign
account.
Love him, hate him you cannot take his
integrity away from him.” – OBASANJO
FACTS
What else are the detractors asking for?
wow. gmb is the best and most suitable candidate for presidency in Nigeria..
Gen. Mohd Buhari
This reporter should stop trying to feed readers with misinformation. Which Obasanjo wanted Tambuwalto be president? I personally was with one of the people who went to consult Obasanjo on the APC choice and I heard what he said about Tambuwal lack of experience to even run a Local Government. Obasanjo has been on record to have said very complimentary things about Buhari and about his integrity in the past. We were even told that he proposed to Buhari to pick Okonjo Iwealla in 2011 as running mate. So which one is the paper trying to make it look like it was Obasanjo, and not Tinubu that drafted Tambuwal to the APC presidential race? what is the agenda of this newspaper?
so tell PDP people to start writing handing over
speech now.
Good work. If the distribution of cash was done without Buhari’s input and knowledge, is that not a pointer to the fact that same level of fraud and profligacy will go on in his govt without his knowledge too? If Buhari is installed by the powers that be in APC will he not be held hostage by same forces? Can Buhari order the investigation of Tinubu’s stupendous wealth and rape of Lagos wealth during his time in Alausa and even till tomorrow? Can Buhari sign the order to prosecute Tinubu if he is found culpable by any investigative agency? I need answers to these disturbing questions.
Was GMB in power when Tinubu
got his wealth.
Buhari may be the upright man some of you speak of, including Obasanjo, yet his utterances of late in recent times show a different Buhari who can rule Nigeria. Again, APC as a party claimed they would stop Boko Haram if voted to power.But why can’t they use the magic wand now and stop Boko Haram so that Nigerians would believe them and vote massively? Why will they waite until they were voted? Or better still, let them sell the secret to some trusted Nigerians who can buy and resell to poor citizens at low price so as to secure their safety from Boko Haram. If APC and their leaders are saying the truth of what they know,Please, let them tell us how and where they were all this long time while Boko Haram is Raging. I doubt if they have anything new to offer to Nigerians. Of all of them, I think General Buhari and a few others alone have not been member of PDP. Tell me what new thing these old wine in new skin men would do that could make a difference from what we already have on ground. whether APC or PDP, they are all the same Bed fellows under different roofs. Partisan politicians have nothing to do with God, Truth and Morality. No man should be the Judge for now. Those who laid the shaky foundation from 1999 to date are responsible. That is why they do not have permanent interest for Nigeria but to their regions, ethnic groups and religion. There is no nationalist yet. Such beautiful one is yet not born.
They can’t stop Boko Haram bcos they are not in government it’s the present government’s business
How can anybody outside the government solve the problem of Boko Haram menace when it is alleged that the government itself is benefitting from Boko Haram through the (mis)use of security vote? How do you handle GEJ’s remarks long ago confirming that there are BH members in his Govt and to date he has done nothing to even at least flush them out of his govt?
we are very happy with thing happen in apc muhammad buhari he got pesedent ticket
how many ears do Nigerians need 2 listen,how many eyes do we need 2 see,does party,religion,racist,ethnicity put food on ur table guarantee ur security and make u prosper?let’s learn from the failure of yesterday because what goes around comes around yesterday it was mko, 2day gmb .We can only progress if we are sincere and put our trust in God
pls try 2 be competent in ur writing,my prblm is that d north want 2 localise GMB which is not it pple like me wnt him not because he is a northerner nor a Muslim but because of his uprightness
When you don’t know that politicians are long time planners you fall mugu to their evil genius.zik spoke hausa and obj speaks everything just for politics. I simply have no regard for any one of these. They are stale in every aspect of today analysis
You based your comment on too much insinuation. How do you expect APC to solve the BH menace when, at present, they do not control the armed forces? They can only do that if they have the constitutional power to do so. And the only party that has the power, for now, is PDP. What are the recent utterances of GMB? As for your statement that APC and PDP are the same as parties, l can’t agree less. However, may be some of us want to vote personalities and not party.
GMB,is the next president,oga jona should ready for handing over
When and where was Buhari rebranded ? In the writer’s imagination ? He is a bigot and a fanatic who delights in talk of blood of baboons and dogs flowing. He is not satisfied with the blood of hapless Youth Corpers that flowed in 2011 following similar comments by him. He has never recanted so how can he be rebranded ?
You need deliverance. I can bet you hardly feed in this present government. I have taken note that the very victims of government’s misrule since 1999 are the same ardent supporters of this very corrupt system. The oppressors sure get you guys exactly where they want you.
The progressives have actually done the right thing.
APC can tackle book haram because they are all members of the deadly organization.
wow. you people did a really nice job here. the analysis was wonderful. it is without doubt that the apc is better than the pdp. there is no way that the pdp would not be scared now. of course gmb is the best and most suitable candidate for presidency in Nigeria as of today.