General Muhammadu Buhari, who emerged as the consensus presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) on Monday, may have resolved to pick his running mate from the South-East geopolitical zone.
Three persons, Leadership gathered last night, are being considered to run with the former head of state in next year’s presidential election. They are the first executive governor of Abia State and APP presidential candidate in 1999, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, and a legal luminary, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN). Also shortlisted, Leadership learnt, is Senate President Ken Nnamani. Sources told Leadership, however, that the Senate president had not been contacted and that his being a member of another political party (PDP) was cited as a major impediment.
Both Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Chief Mike Ahamba are founding members of the APP, the forerunner of the ANPP.
But General Buhari may delay the announcement of his running mate until late today or early tomorrow to enable him, the leaders of the ANPP and the Action Congress (AC) to hold a crucial meeting. The AC, Leadership learnt, might attend the meeting with the names of its presidential candidate and running mate.
Given the alliance agreement already signed by the two political parties, sources said, at the end of the meeting the identity of General Buhari’s running mate would be clearer.
ANPP director of publicity, Ibrahim Modibbo, told Leadership that the AC may not hesitate to welcome Senator Nnamani into its fold and let him become Buhari’s running mate. This, he said, is premised on the electoral value of the Senate president.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed December 21, 2006, as the deadline for the submission of the names of presidential flag-bearers and their running mates for next year’s election.
