2019: Galadima Plots Against Buhari

By Stephen Ubanna

Not  many people were surprised when Buba Galadima , a close political  ally  of President Muhammadu Buhari, Administration , finally turned his back against the party and started plotting for his fall in the 2019 general election. The Magazine learnt that there have been security reports about him about his activities in the All progressives Congress, APC, which was not favourable to the President but was ignored. He was said to have been told to watch out a split in the Party.

Galadima, according to sources has been a strong critic of Buhari over his lack of interest in party politics  which is reflected  in resolving the APC   crisis had dropped hint of leaving the party with other aggrieved members when he volunteered information recently  that ” Buhari would be alone in the 2019 general election”.

Many believe that he was acting out a script of Bukola Saraki, the Senate President and Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives who had been at the receiving  end of the Buhari Administration despite  working for him to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general election with the backing of the New People’s Democratic Party, nPDP, a  breakaway faction of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

Galadima  had left no one in doubt that the APC has been raped aground but may be still claims to be in government because the ”PDP is controlling power”. An aggrieved Galadima disclosed Buhari’s utterances in  the recent time shows has further demostrated that he has no ”interest in party politics”.

Indeed, he had no one in doubt that what happened to the PDP on the eve of the 2015 general election would happen to the APC, which may leave Buhari with no political platform to seek  his re-election bid in 2019. The Presidency may not have taken the threat serious because the  Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris and other security Chiefs in the country are loyal to Buhari  who appointed them into office and could  do anything to return him to office.

But Garba Shehu , a Senior Special Assistant to Buhari on Mdia and Publicity  think who may be speaking his mind  said Galadima’s ”calculation and prediction against the President  is utterly ”confused and misleading”, stressing that the ordinary people are the ”ordinary masses  are solidly behind Buhari in office”, meaning  that the political elites have no hand his emergence as President of Nigeria  in 2015 and could still play no role in 2019.

H e alluded that Galadima is leading the plot against the Buhari Administration because he ” has no role and no job in this government”, streessing that Buhari is far from being isolated as alleged. He noted that  the President’s disagreement with Galadima , who is leading the plot against him was  because  he is ”committed to level playing field  and would not want anyone to link him with injustice”. He revealed that  his problem with Galadima, a former political ally of Buhari at the defunct Congress For Progressive Change, CPC,  started 2011  when a group within the party orchestrated an Organisational mess by which the party , at the instance of Buhari, the  then Party Leader embarked on the imposition  and substitution of candidates for cash payments at the expense of those duly  and democratically elected.

He challenged the aggrieved APC Chieftain to go his Constituency and stand for election and see what would happen to him. True to his threat to pull down the Buhari Administration in the 2019 general, he was said to have facilitated a splinter group in the APC, reformed App Progressive Congress, RAPC.

Those  who knew Galadima , who is leading the uprising against Buhari in the APC says he is not someone to be ignored with a wave of  hand.  They described him as a spoiler who could cause major political upset  for Buhari and the ruling APC in the 2019 general election.  his major Campaign against Buhari is that he cannot deliver on his electioneering Campaigns promises and should not be  given another opportunity.

They had cited the problem of former President  Jonathan  whichstarted on the eve of the 2015 election  with the aggrieved governors  who had mounted pressure on him to recognise Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state, who incidentally is the minister of Transport, as the then Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF. The request was said to have been turned down forcing  Amaechi  and other aggrieved governors to float nPDP which merged with other parties to form APC that contested the 2015 general election that produced Buhari as President.

On the current crisis in APC, many believe that Buhari may have saved the uprising in the party if he had heeded the request for a meeting  with the nPDP who felt marginalised in the APC government.

There are indications that the  Galadima’s  group may team up with the nPDP embers who were not happy with the APC government and the PDP to form a meja party that would contest the 2019 election against Buhari and his ruling APC in the 2019 general election. The APC  crisis may be the first major challenge confronting Oshiomhole as the national Chairman of the APC .

A  source told the Magazine that the APC  national Chairman may still holding consultations with party leaders including the aggrieved members to reach a compromise position. oshiomhole , according to closes   had vowed to work for Buhari re-election bid in the  2019 general election  no matter the opposition from both internal and external sources.

Many fear that if Galadima  and his group could remain in the opposition against Buhari till 2019,  the chances of his re-election may be slim. Political analysts believe that the outcome of the July 2018 governorship election in Ekiti  state, south west Nigeria  will determine whether the Galadima’s threat to Buhari’s  re-election bid in 2019 will work or not.