A source said the PDP might be focusing their attention on candidates from the North-West so as to tackle Buhari and share the votes in the zone.
There are insinuations that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might dump former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senate President Bukola Saraki’s presidential ambition.
According to The Nation, the statistics of registered voters in the North-West geo-political zone (18 million as at February), will be the focus when choosing a presidential candidate.
Saraki and Atiku, who both moved from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), recently declared their intention to run for President on PDP’s platform, and they are from the North-Central and North-East respectively.
A source who spoke to The Nation said that the PDP might be focusing their attention on candidates from the North-West so as to tackle President Buhari who has a strong following in the North and also, share the votes in the zone.
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North-West candidates
The candidates from the North-West who have signified their interest to run for President in PDP are: Senator Ahmed Maikarfi, Alhaji Sule Lamido, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Special Duties Minister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, former Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau, former Sokoto State governor Attahiru Bafarawa and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The source also hinted that Kwankwaso might be the ideal candidate, considering the fact that he is a leading voice in the zone who also has many supporters.
Kwankwaso speaks
Kwankwaso also spoke on the North-West issue while speaking to newsmen after he collected his nomination form.
He said “everyone knows that the bulk of the votes come from the Northwest and it would not be wrong for anyone to suggest that the PDP candidate should come from that zone.
“You all saw from the last general election in 2015 the number of votes from Kano alone. So it’s just normal to expect the candidate to emerge from the Northwest. That is the only way to defeat them (APC). But this is my opinion because everybody has their different opinions.”
Another challenge facing Saraki
The Nation reports that another hurdle facing Saraki is the fact that the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, who is seen as PDP's leader, is solidly behind Tambuwal.
A source said that the Sokoto state Governor promised to make Wike his running mate if he gets the PDP ticket.
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Wike, according to reports, was instrumental to the emergence of Uche Secondus as PDP chairman.
The source said that was why Secondus hurriedly stormed out of Saraki's official declaration to run for President on Thursday, August 30, 2018.
Meanwhile, Senate President Bukola Saraki has said that his declaration to run for President does not mean that he betrayed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.