2015: Jitters in ‘core’ North over Jonathan/Mark accord •Atiku woos S/West PDP

There are jitters among the Northern political establishment over the sort of political accord between President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark as far as determination of the 2015 Presidency is concerned, Sunday Tribune can reveal.

Sources close to a recent meeting of some Northern political bigwigs confirmed permutations towards the 2015 presidential race have continued to assume varied dimensions as the far North is said to be ruing the possibility of Senate President David Mark being drafted into the race.

It was gathered that though many Northern leaders have not ruled out the possibility of President Jonathan joining the race, many of them are now concerned that the Jonathan camp could be perfecting a plot to foist Mark as his successor.

“What if President Jonathan decides not to run and opts for a Northern successor?”
This was the question that dominated the meeting of some Northern politicians which was hosted by a two-term senator who recently left the National Assembly at his Abuja residence last week.

Although those in attendance noted “with concern,” the “un-allayed fears” of the North as far as the 2015 race is concerned, they all the same decried the confrontational manner which some Northern politicians have been facing the “challenge.”

Sunday Tribune was informed by one of the attendees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the closeness of the Senate president and President Jonathan is a source of worry to the core North, adding that “a David Mark Presidency is another Southern rule.

“It is not possible for the real politicians in the North to sleep when we are talking about power equation and how it affects us as a people; that is the issue we are looking at with concern on very strong terms.

”How can we relax when there are many un-allayed fears along the path leading to the race? So, as you asked, I can tell you confidently that we discussed the issue even though it was not a formal meeting; that is why we need to be very diplomatic about it because the way some of our people face the challenge with confrontation is very condemnable, may be because they do not understand the essence of power-play.

“To be candid with you, that kind of confrontation can only lead to very serious negative impacts on us as a people. So, we are trying to see the possibility of avoiding a situation where those close to the president will wrongly advise him to drag in the likes of David Mark, who is very close to him and Southern power brokers, if eventually, he, Jonathan decides not to run.

“We do not pray for that in any case, but it is like handing over to another Southerner after Jonathan as we cannot say such a person is from the North.”

It was learnt that the North is not too certain of the body language of President Jonathan ahead of 2015.

While many of the political leaders were afraid that Jonathan could himself join the race, they are equally concerned that the president could spring a last-minute surprise by drafting Mark in.

It was also leant that the rapport between Jonathan and Mark had grown so robust in recent years and that the president could swing things in Mark’s favour.

There is also a feeling that if Jonathan would not contest, power might be retained in the Middle Belt in view of the widespread antagonism against Jonathan’s government since inception.

Sources said a feeling in Jonathan’s camp is that if the president will not contest, he could only yield the seat to Mark who is credited with military background.

“The feeling among the president’s supporters is that if he is not contesting, he should raise a candidate with military background and the person that has demonstrated capability is David Mark,” a source said.

This development is coming as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commenced deft, but discreet moves to take over existing structures of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West geopolitical zone ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

Already, a reliable source told our correspondent, the former vice president’s foot soldiers are making overtures to some influential power brokers in the region with a view to eliciting their support base at the various states even as they intend to use the PDP governorship ticket in Ondo State as springboard.

But the former vice president and the Ondo State chapter of the PDP have both denied the development.

Nonetheless, prominent among those said to be coordinating for the former vice president, in his latest move to take a shot at the Presidency, are former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP (South), Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun; former Special Adviser on Women Affairs, Chief (Mrs) Titi Ajanaku; former Education Minister, Professor Tunde Adeniran; Lagos politician, Mrs Remi Adiukwu-Bakare; as well as the former vice president’s business associate Chief Oyewole Fasawe, whose favoured candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, has emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in Ondo State.

However, the former vice president’s loyalists, according to the source, appear to have met a brick wall in the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South-West, Mr. Segun Oni; two unnamed former governors as well as the National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

President Jonathan is yet to confirm whether or not he will take another shot at the Presidency as he has consistently declared that it is too early to engage in activities towards the 2015 presidential election.

The former vice president is reportedly banking on the present state of the PDP in the South-West in relation to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in all the states in the region except Ondo which is controlled by the Labour Party (LP). 

All the same, PDP Director of Publicity in Ondo State, Ayo Fadaka, has debunked that Oke, who is the immediate past National Legal Adviser of the party, is a loyalist of the former vice president.

“To all intents and purposes, our candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, is not an imposed candidate of the party; he enjoys the support of all leaders of the party from across the state.

This is even as the state chapter of the party is not in any way tied to the presidential ambition of anybody.

“Let me add that the man enjoyed a very robust working relationship with Mr. President when he was the party’s national legal adviser in Abuja; he is a man who has played very patriotic roles in the party and even at governmental levels while he served as one of the party’s brightest national legal advisers.

“These roles were further exemplified by the very noble, responsible and loyal step he took at the last national convention of the PDP in Abuja by withdrawing from the race for the position of the national secretary of the PDP. This is one of the various means by which those peddling falsehood in Abuja think they can succeed; it is one of the very panicky insinuations aimed at dragging the name of Chief Oke into needless controversy, but they will fail,” Fadaka said on telephone.  

On his part, Atiku, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Garba Shehu, denied any knowledge of politicians working for him towards the 2015 presidential election.

“It is not true; it is a figment of people’s imagination wrongly directed to create unnecessary friction where none exists.

The Turaki is very much unaware and wishes to state that no one has his instructions to mobilise for any election.

“He (Atiku) will be very much ready to speak on other issues of importance, but not on the 2015 presidential election. So, please disregard those rumours,” Sheu, who also spoke on telephone, noted.