2015: Jonathan joins presidential race in April

 
 
Fresh indications have emerged  that President Goodluck Jonathan will declare his intention to seek a second term in April, consequent upon conclusion of a nationwide consultation on the 2015 presidential poll.

The nationwide consultation reportedly started two weeks ago culminating in the weekend visits to monarchs in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled states of the South west geo-political zone.

The Director General of the second term campaign will be Ambassador Aminu Wali who was screened by the Senate as a ministerial nominee from Kano Sate last Tuesday.

Besides, the nomination of former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, to replace an earlier nominee forwarded to the Senate, Hadija Jamilla Salik for screening may be suspended till April, it was learnt.

Daily Sun gathered that a fresh political realignment at the weekend necessitated the suspension of Shekarau’s nomination as a minister for now.

“Before the president forwarded Hadjia’s Salik’s name for Senate screening, the favoured candidate for the post was a former top shot in the National Assembly from the state. It wasn’t Shekarau’s name that was to come to the Senate. It was a former political top shot from the state. The choice of Salik was a last-minute replacement when Ambassador indicated interest in taking up the post.”

Wali’s choice, it was further gathered, was mulled as “a stop-gap measure. He would eventually be moved to occupy the DG position, a role played by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Britain, senator Dalhatu Tafida in the 2011 presidential poll whenever the President makes public his intent to contest for a second term.

“Shekarau has been asked to wait till April; after all, two months is not a long time to wait.”

Further insight into putting Shekarau’s nomination on hold for now may be influenced by the fact that “both Wali and Shekarau come from the same local government.”

In the event that “the lingering political interests in Niger State” are resolved before Tuesday, Senate may also go ahead with the screening of the state nominee, Niger Asabe Asmau Ahmed. Senate suspended screening of Hadjia Salik and Ahmed, both female nominees, after 10 male ministerial nominees were screened between Wednesday and Thursday last week.

 A Senate source privy to the political intrigues which stalked Ahmed’s screening, even though she was present within the Senate premises last Thursday, was due to “political exigencies from the state. If the political logjam was resolved by Monday evening, that may pave the way for the screening and eventual clearance of the two female ministerial nominees, alongside their male counterparts.      Another National Assembly source, however, said Ahmed’s screening was stalled because of disagreement in the camp of the Nigef State Senate caucus to her nomination.

“They were not comfortable with the fact that the name of the former governor of Niger State, Abdullahi Kure, was to have been forwarded as his nomination had been common knowledge since the third quarter of 2013.

“They expressed anger that the incumbent governor was allowed to have his way in nominating the ministerial nominee for the state, even after they had been steadfast in controlling the state for PDP and have never wavered.

“In fact, one of our members had prepared the ground for Kure’s smooth screening in the Senate only for a different name to make the list.”

Senate is expected to conclude screening and confirmation of the 12 ministerial nominees today.