APC chieftains continue plot against Tinubu

IN a bid to avoid the possible backlash from the planned Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 presidential race, some top leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have begun moves aimed at lobbying the leader of the party, Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, out of the presidential race. Tinubu is believed to be eyeing the party’s vice presidential slot following indications that the party leadership has concluded plan to give the ticket to the former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari. Sources close to the party confirmed last week that a group of concerned elders of the party are persuading Tinubu to vie for the Senate seat from Lagos so that he can clinch Senate President postion when the party comes to power. It was confirmed that party chieftains are concerned that the Muslim-Muslim ticket could be an albatross for the APC in the wake of growing concerns about religious dichotomy in parts of the country. It was learnt that a governor from the South is one of the arrow heads of the group seeking to lobby Tinubu out of the presidential race. Sources added that the group had fixed a date with General Buhari to discuss the idea. A source put it this way, “The dust surrounding a Muslim-Muslim presidential pairing in the APC is yet to settle as some party chieftains are already plotting to scuttle the arrangement. “One of the Southern states governors is said to have reached out to some members of the party on the need to scuttle the planned arrangement. “The governor is already in talks with party members from the North and they plan to sell the idea to General Buhari at a meeting,” the source disclosed. It was gathered that the group had decided to persuade Tinubu to accept to be the Senate President, a position considered as more powerful than that of Vice President. Said the source, “A Muslim-Muslim pairing would be a weapon of vicious campaign by the People Democratic Party.” It was also gathered that another group, made up largely of governors is perfecting a plot to ensure the former governor of Bayels State, Timpre Silva, emerges the national Chairman of the party at its national convention planned for June 12 and 13, 2014. Also linked to the plot against the Muslim- Muslim ticket is the plot to ensure the emergence of a defected member of the PDP from the South-South geopolitical zone to emerge as National Chairman. The former governor is being seen as the rightful candidate for the job and one who is also opposed to the Muslim-Muslim ticket arrangement.