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Last Wednesday, a crucial meeting
of the 12-member committee appointed by the Northern Political Leaders
Forum (NPLF) to pick a consensus candidate among the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) aspirants from the northern part of the country, was
shelved at the last minute.

The parley was convened following
the failure by the committee, during a previous one, to agree on who,
among the former military president, Ibrahim Babangida; former vice
president, Atiku Abubakar; former national security adviser, Aliyu
Gusau and the incumbent governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, should
challenge President Goodluck Jonathan, himself an aspirant, in the
forthcoming primaries of the PDP.

Members of the committee expected
at the meeting were Adamu Ciroma (chairman), governors Danjuma Goje of
Gombe State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Babangida Aliyu of Niger
State, representing North East, North West and North Central
geo-political zones. Also expected were former senate president,
Iyorchia Ayu; former PDP national chairman, Audu Ogbeh; former
Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Yusuf and Ahmed Kurfi, from
Bauchi State.

They were appointed into the
committee by the Forum in the middle of last month to search for a
consensus candidate to run in the primaries.

Sources however revealed that the
meeting, scheduled to hold at the prestigious Transcorp Hotel, was put
off because of an urgent need by the committee members to tour the 19
northern states to sell the idea to the members of the PDP in the
region.

It was further gathered that the
need for the tour arose in order to rubbish whatever gains were made by
the campaign outfit of Mr Jonathan and his deputy, Namadi Sambo. The
Jonathan campaign outfit led by its director general, Dalhatu Tafida
had visited the north-west zone and was in north central zone when the
committee decided to embark on its own tour.

Some northern members of the PDP
had argued that it was wrong for the president to join the race since
there was an agreement reached by the party, some years ago, that
presidential power should rotate between the north and the south.

The group also argued that with
the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua in office last May,
another northerner should emerge in 2011 after Mr Jonathan (Yar’Adua’s
deputy) might have completed the tenure began by the last president.

However, Mr Obasanjo and some
other members of the party are insisting that any Nigerian has a right
to contest the presidential election, irrespective of the region their
region.

In their determination to keep
power in the north, the northern forum initiated a meeting with the
quartet of Babangida, Abubakar, Gusau and Saraki as well as their
aides, on September 18, during which they resolved to present a common
candidate for the presidential election. They also resolved to set up
an eight-member team to deliberate on the matter.

Those at the meeting were Raymond
Dokpesi from Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Organisation; Chris Mammah of
Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation; Ben Obi of Aliyu Gusau Campaign
Organisation and Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, then of Bukola Saraki Campaign
Organisation.

Although, the committee membership
was expanded to 12, that appears to be the last time it reached a
consensus on any matter, prompting speculations that the single
candidate plan might fail. Before last week’s meeting was shelved, the
committee members, who were christened in “the 12 wise men” had met
several times without achieving the aim for which they were appointed.

Though both the aspirants and
their supporters have variously claimed that they will respect the
wishes of the committee, their utterances and actions so far have
suggested the contrary, thereby endangering their assignment. In the
course of the pre-primaries campaign, each of the four aspirants have
flaunted their credentials, sometimes in utter embarrassment to the
others.

For instance, Mr Abubakar has
severally claimed that of the lot, he has the best democratic
credentials, having been in politics for so many years and vice
president of the country for eight years under a civilian dispensation.
This is perceived as an indirect attack on Mr Babangida and Gusau, both
of whom are retired military generals.

On his part, Mr Saraki has been hammering on the issue of generational change.

Only last week, the 48-year-old
governor reportedly told presidential hopefuls born before the nation’s
independence in 1960 to withdraw from the race. Again, this was
interpreted as ‘missiles’ fired at Messrs Babangida, Abubakar and
Gusau, all of whom are in their late 60s.

People deceiving people

Mr Babangida has also not been
averse to flaunting his experience in government. He said having run
the country for eight years, he is best positioned to be the consensus
candidate. Yet, Mr Gusau would claim that his experience in the
security circles puts him ahead of others.

If anything, these utterances and
actions, which suggest desperation, have tended to frustrate the plan
of the 12-member committee.

At a recent all-night meeting, Mr
Ciroma was said to have expressed concern over the success of the
committee if its members continued to canvass support for their
principals. Source said he expressed frustration when the committee
could not take a vote he called on the matter.

Besides, there appears to be a
lack of commitment on the part of members of the committee to the
cause. For instance, some members regularly shun meetings, often
without any explanation. Despite being invited several times, Messrs
Lamido, Babangida Aliyu and Goje have continued to boycott the
meetings, causing the committee to postpone its meeting.

Also disturbing is Mr Ayu’s entry
into the presidential race. The former senate president, from Benue
State, is said to have shocked his fellow committee members when he
announced his intention to contest the presidency two weeks ago.

Furthemore, the northern
presidential aspirants were jolted when a new entrant into the race,
Sani Aminu, distanced himself from the quest. Mr Aminu, who hails from
Katsina, told journalists, he would only concede to consensus
arrangement at the level of the party.

“I am yet to get in touch with the
Northern Political Leaders Forum. I am not part of them,” he said. “But
if there is any consensus within the parameters of PDP, we would
welcome it. PDP is PDP, we aren’t talking of North or South.”
Expectedly, Mr Jonathan’s camp has cashed in on this apparent confusion
to raise its stake. The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organsation says the
gang up against the president would fail because it is not based on any
programme.

“The consensus arrangement being
pursued is based on sheer opportunism and driven by an undemocratic and
illiberal spirit,” Sully Abu, spokesman of the organization, said.
“That is why they have continued to be at pains to explain that they
are at work, irrevocably committed to the success of the arrangement.

They have continued feverishly with their individual campaigns while
they continue to protest their commitment to subsume their individual,
galloping ambitions. Who is deceived?”