Personality in Focus
2023: Why Tambuwal May Spring Surprise, Clinch PDP’s Presidential Ticket
As Nigeria’s main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) makes final preparation for its highly anticipated presidential primaries scheduled for this weekend in Abuja, the aspirants are also in final race to politick their way to pick the party’s coveted ticket.
For over three months now, aspirants have transversed the length and breadth of the country meeting party delegates to sell their ambition of being the party’s flag bearer ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.
One of the aspirants and a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi on Wednesday resigned his membership of the party and also pulled out of the race for the party’s ticket reducing the contenders to 14.
The 14 presidential aspirants as of Thursday include; former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, two former Senate Presidents, Bukola Saraki and Anyim Pius Anyim as well as Governors Aminu Tambuwa, Nyesom Wike, Bala Mohammed, Emmanuel Udom, of Sokoto, Rivers, Bauchi and Akwa Ibom states respectively.
Others are businessman, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Governors Peter Obi and Ayo Fayose of Anambra and Ekiti States, Chief Sam Ohunabunwa, Dele Momodu, Charles Okwudili, Chikwendu Kalu, Cosmos Ndukwe and Olivia Tarela, who is the only female among the PDP presidential aspirants.
However, while the race appears tight and competitive, the odds seem to be in favour of the incumbent governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.
Tambuwal controls largest share of delegates by region
In search of the best candidate to take PDP to victory come 2023, several speculations have been made in favour of Atiku with citation of his political record in 2018, during which he polled 1,532 votes at the PDP’s primaries to secure the party’s ticket and marched to keenly contest with President Muhammadu Buhari – he (Atiku) garnered 11,262,978 (41%) while Buhari Buhari of claimed 15,191,847 (56%).
For those on this lane, there are two points that have been gravely ignored, one of which is that the dynamics of politics in Nigeria today are unfavourable for Atiku and the second factor is that Tambuwal’s feat at the same 2018, where he trailed Atiku after securing 693 votes is highly underrated – not everyone is aware that the Sokoto State Governor continued to nurture his strength and political structure while Atiku on his side abandoned his political house after losing out in the last presidential election.
With President Muhammadu Buhari withholding assent on the Amended Electoral Act 2022, Tambuwal’s call to a new political glory was made more pronounced. This is because the Northwest Zone where he hails from would be presenting the highest number of delegates to the convention given the region’s superior number of local governments. The zone comprises of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara States – and most of these states are in his pocket (Tambuwal).
Only 811 voting delegates are expected at the PDP convention, they include 774 national delegates (1 Per LGA and 37 special delegates (People with disability from each of the 36 states and FCT).
There is an aggregate of 186 national delegates in the Northwest and Tambuwal is the only candidate presented by the region. Firstly, there is no gainsaying that he (Tambuwal) will clear all the delegates’ votes in Sokoto. In Kano, Tambuwal has also become a favourite leader following the exit of a former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso in PDP. Jigawa, is controlled by Tambuwal’s ally, former governor, Sule Lamido who has seized the territory for his friend.
Tambuwal is also a force to reckon with in Katsina, although Wike’s man, Senator Garba Lado is also doing his best to get some votes. Tambuwal’s train is also strongly stationed in Kaduna and Kebbi but Atiku and Saraki will give him a fight here. In Zamafara, General Aliyu Gusau is supporting Saraki, however, Tambuwal and can’t be written off in the state.
A PDP chieftain in the region muted that power brokers are open to supporting a northern consensus candidate and Tambuwal, it was said stands a higher chance than Atiku as he is seen as very accessible and also enjoys the home advantage factor in this zone.
More impressively, Tambuwal isn’t that far from taking a win as other contenders will only jostle for leftover votes in other regions and he (Tambuwal) is still part of the party. Wike will be struggling at his own home front in South-South, and might not be able to pick more than Rivers and Cross Rivers. In North-East, Atiku has Tambuwal, Saraki and Wike to fiercely contend with. In North-Central, Saraki though will win his state may have to still battle for survival as Tambuwal, Wike, Atiku also take their own share. In the South-East, Wike will have an edge since he is working with some governors but besides the fact that votes here is not as sizeable as in other regions, Tambuwal still stands strong with the support he is getting from the former governor of Imo State Emeka Ihedioha.
Power brokers, stakeholders in the North are backing Tambuwal
With the defeat of the southern presidency agenda which paved way for an open contest for the PDP’s ticket, most power brokers in the northern part of Nigeria are settling for a candidate who is reasonable and not so difficult to relate with – Tambwual mien puts him miles above a high-and-mighty Atiku in this stance.
Only recently, when the gruesome murder of a defenceless student, Deborah of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto by her irate schoolmates had troubled Sokoto State and many had feared the tension escalate and spread to other states, however, it was Tambuwal’s responsiveness, liberality and willingness to work with others that saved the day and by a large extension doused the wake of a likely religious tension in the country.
From his days as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2011 to 2015, he has continued to build bridges. Close and confidential sources around the Sokoto Governor describe him as one of the most down-to-earth politicians, meeting people on their own terms and engaging with them in a manner like never before. He takes his politics personal and is keen on maintaining quality conversations with people around him, never taking decisions on his own, which is why he had a balanced House of Representatives as Speaker, giving key positions to members of the House in an equitable manner. He also carried everyone along and made sure that consultation was the theme of the day before taking any critical decision.
Still, it’s worth emphasizing that it might be just a few days away from the d-day but in politics, there’s an incredibly wide range of results that are within the margin of error.
The Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday disagreed over the existence of a southern traditional rulers’ council.
Agubuzu had while addressing participants at the National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit On Health in Abuja, attended by President Tinubu, said there was “nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council”.
He also urged the Federal Government to be wary of those who claim to be members of the council, especially in the disbursement of funds.
“Now, again, they were talking about the Southern Traditional Rulers Committee on Health, and the eminent Professor Pate was saying that this will become an annual event—what we are doing today—if I heard him correctly.
“The truth of the matter is that there is nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council. If you come here, Pate, and give money to people on that basis, it’s not correct,” Igwe Agubuzu said.
“The South is not the North. We have our system. We need unity in diversity. So, if you want to deal with us, deal with us in the South-East. If you have resources for us, give them to us. Don’t give it to people who come and say, ‘We’re Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council.
“Democracy is representative government, and anybody who goes to present himself without his people is not democratic or traditional. So, get it. We think that we will do our best. Mr. President, please listen to our cries,” he added.
But the Ooni of Ife countered the position of the Enugu monarch, saying that the membership of the council was optional.
“Southern Traditional Council is very optional. You don’t need to join us if you don’t want to join us, but it’s a force, a formidable force among traditional institutions for us to come together.
“And we are all reputable in all our domains. You can see all of us because one of us made a speech that there’s nothing like that. We don’t agree to that, but our President is there; we don’t want any impression that there’s division,” Oba Ogunwusi told journalists during an interview.
The Osun monarch said the council was not limited to traditional rulers from the South-West.
He also pledged its support for President Tinubu.
“We don’t want to take out South-East. We have Eze Aro here. Eze Arochukwu is one of the very prominent traditional rulers in the South-East. We have a lot of southeastern traditional rulers with whom we are working together for the betterment of the country.
“So for us, it’s something that is key to let the whole world know that if you don’t want to be part of us, you can option your suggestion out. And please, we implore each and every one of us to focus more on news that is of quality, not social media and rumours. This is one of the major things affecting our country,” he added.
Similarly, the Eze Aro of Arochukuwku Kingdom, Eberechukwu Oji, who also identified himself as the publicity secretary of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council, described the council as a movement.
“As the Ooni said, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council is a movement. It’s a journey comprising members from across the entire southern part of Nigeria. The Ooni is our chairman.
“We have King Jaja of Opopo, who is from the South-South, and we have eminent traditional rulers from across the southern parts of Nigeria who have come together to advance the cause of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council,” the Abia monarch said.
He also disclosed that the council was recognised by the Federal Government.
“So let us put it on record and put it on record very clearly. The President was part of the inauguration of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council. It happened in Owerri, and we have representatives of both the press, the government, and stakeholders in that inauguration,” Oji told journalists.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the legendary civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate, has passed away Tuesday aged 84, his family has said in a statement.
A cause of death was not immediately given but Jackson’s family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said.
“We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment to regulate his blood pressure, having been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, CNN reported at the time.
PSP is “a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements,” according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Prior to that, Jackson’s struggles with his health prevented him from attending his 84th birthday celebrations in Chicago last October, which, CBS reported, was nevertheless attended by city mayor Brandon Johnson, former congressman Bobby Rush, and Jackson’s sons — current Illinois Democratic Rep. Jonathan Jackson and former representative Jesse Jackson Jr — among many others.
He announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.
Also in their statement, Jackson’s family expressed their “profound sadness” at his passing and paid tribute to “his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity.
Culled from Independent.co.uk
Nigerian academic, literary critic and Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, is dead. He was 80.
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of the foremost scholars of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
His passing was announced by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Andrew Haruna, in a statement on Wednesday, saying the scholar passed away on 11 February.
The Nigerian Academy of Letters expressed condolences to his family and the academic community, describing his passing as a significant loss to literary scholarship in Nigeria and beyond.
In January, an international scholarly gathering was held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos to mark his 80th birthday.
The event drew academics, writers and cultural figures in recognition of his lifelong contributions to literary studies and intellectual life.
Colleagues have often described Mr Jeyifo’s writing as both intellectually rigorous and accessible, blending critical depth with clarity of expression.
Beyond Soyinka studies, he was known for his wide-ranging engagement with world Anglophone literature, cultural theory and postcolonial thought.
Born on 5 January 1946, Mr Jeyifo was a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and a prominent public intellectual whose career spanned several decades of teaching, research and mentorship across Nigeria and the United States.
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