PDP woos APC governor, presidential aspirant Kwankwaso ahead of 2019 battle against Buhari
- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is said to be looking in the direction of attracting Governor Aminu Tambuwal back to its fold
- The party is also reportedly trying to woo former governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso
- The PDP, it was learnt, might take advantage of the crisis rocking the APC in Kano to win back Kwankwaso
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded plans to launch an all-time action that would see some members of the All Progressives Congress return to the opposition party ahead of 2019.
Top among those penciled for this are Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and a presidential aspirant of the APC in 2015, Rabiu Kwakwanso.
The move comes as the party reportedly begins search for a presidential candidate ahead of 2019.
Kwankwaso is a former governor of Kano state and has been in a running battle with his successor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
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The Nation however reports that the Tambuwal is however limited due to the area he comes from. He is also noted to have been politically bigger as speaker of the House of Representatives than as governor.
The report quoted a source as saying: “There is no evidence of lack of amity between the PDP and Kwakwanso.
“Now that there is a division in Kano state APC, we are likely to succeed in our effort to encourage Kwakwanso to return.
“Kwakwanso actually wants to return, if we mount more pressure on him and convince him.
“But when he returns, he may have to fight for the ticket at the primary without any special concession given to him beyond the normal waiver.”
It was learnt that the PDP is preparing a presidential search team that would be made of experienced party leaders, intellectual friends of the PDP, founding fathers of the party, National Assembly members, the governors and other officials.
They would consult widely and liaise with prominent leaders of opinion, including royal fathers, religious leaders, past leaders of government and other influential blocs in the society.
“For us in the PDP, it is a moment of sober reflection. We are facing the reality. It may not be easy to displace an incumbent.
“But, they defeated us. That has given us the courage that we can also defeat them.
“We need a new strategy. We must also make sacrifice to bounce back. To win, we must strategise, plan and execute our plans with dexterity.
“MKO Abiola was accepted by all the six regions. Somebody with that kind of antecedent can be honoured with the ticket to salvage Nigeria from the APC.
“He can come from the business world, diplomacy, and other sectors where he has made a name.
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“The person must be clean; without any baggage and he must be knowledgeable and versatile. He must have adequate knowledge of how to turn the economy around.
“And you know, the first criterion is that he must be someone from the North because we have zoned the presidency to the North.
“The factor we are considering is the winning factor and the PDP family will not compromise this factor,” the PDP source said.
NAIJ.com earlier reported how the newly elected national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of running a broken government.
This is the second time Secondus would hit at the APC since he became the chairman of the PDP at a national convention held in Abuja recently.
But the presidency released some 21 companies and factories so far commissioned under the government of Muhammadu Buhari since 2015 as part of the administration's achievements.
The list was released by Lauretta Onochie, the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media.
Nigerians want PDP back in 2019 - Goodluck Jonathan declares at PDP Caucus Meeting - on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng