Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto Stare, has dismissed the selection of former Senator President, Bukola Saraki, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, by PDP Northern Elders and former President Ibrahim Babangida, as Northern consensus candidates for the 2023 Presidential election, as inconsequential, null, void, and of no effect.
The Elders and IBB had met at IBB’s Minna home on Friday, April 22, 2022, and endorsed Saraki and Mohammed as the two consensus candidates from the North under the PDP.
By doing that, they cancelled out the Presidential aspiration of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Tambuwal.
Addressing Journalists at the end of the meeting, Professor Ango Abdullahi said it was now left for Saraki and Mohammed to sit down and agree on which of them would be the sole candidate, a challenge Mohammed promised the two of them would undertake for a smooth and rancour free Primary.
But in a statement released by the Tambuwal Campaign Organization, and signed by the Director, Organization and Mobilization, Nicholas Msheliza, Governor Tambuwal said there was no such thing. He said the decision was deceitful, as all of them who were working on the consensus issue had since agreed that it had failed. He said they had decided to issue a statement to that effect, and had asked Saraki to fashion it out, only for Saraki to suddenly tell him of the meeting in Minna to which he told Saraki that he stood by their earlier agreement that the consensus agreement has failed.
Tambuwal, therefore, distanced himself from the Minna meeting and its outcome, dismissing it as deceitful. He said his aspiration and campaign were alive and roaring.
Following, the full text of Tambuwal’s response dated April 22, 2022.
Consensus Drive Failed, I’m Not Part of Any Agreement
By Tambuwal Campaign Organization (TCO)
“The attention of Tambuwal Campaign Organization (TCO) has been drawn to a news item that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Gov. Bala Muhammad of Bauchi state have emerged as consensus candidates from amongst the four of us announced at a meeting in Minna, Niger state.
“This is, to be candid and forthright, not correct.
The correct situation is that the team met on Wednesday 20th April, 2022, at Bauchi Governor’s lodge in Abuja and had a review meeting; and, unanimously agreed that the consensus arrangement was not working.
“The team further agreed that Sen. Saraki should come up with a draft statement on how to communicate this decision to the Nigerian public. This was the last time that members of the team sat and mutually agreed on anything. The proposed meeting to review and vet the statement scheduled for 10 pm of the same day was aborted unilaterally by Sen. Saraki via a WhatsApp message.
“However, on Thursday, 21st, 2022, same Sen Saraki circulated yet another WhatsApp message suggesting that members of the team should head to Minna for a meeting on Friday, Gov. Tambuwal reached other members of the team and informed them that he stands by the decision of the team that the initiative is not working. This is the reason Gov. Tambuwal was absent at today’s (Friday) meeting in Minna. As a result therefore, the outcome of the Minna meeting has no consequence or any implication on the aspiration of Gov. Tambuwal, who had earlier on informed his colleagues of maintaining their agreed position that the initiative has collapsed.
“Members of the public should be reminded that what was canvassed for was a consensus candidate and not consensus candidates.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Gov Tambuwal has submitted his Presidential nomination forms and now that the quest for a consensus candidate out of the four has clearly collapsed, will go ahead and face screening and indeed contest the PDP presidential primaries.
“This is in consonance with his acclaimed outlook as a pan-Nigerian candidate, with pedigree of national service as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, life member of the Body of Benchers and now in his second and final term as Governor of Sokoto state.”
Nicholas Msheliza
Director Organization and Mobilization for TCO
April 22, 2022
Abuja
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