BY Chidi Chima
It is now confirmed: Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, speaker of the house of representatives, will seek the nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 presidential election.
Imam Imam, the speaker’s media aide, confirmed to TheCable by SMS that Tambuwal was informed earlier on Thursday by his “friends and political associates” that they had bought the nomination and expression of interest forms on his behalf.
Imam did not respond to further questions, but it was obvious that the speaker would not reject the forms.
It had been speculated all along that Tambuwal was interested in running for president, but his delayed departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was thought to have put paid to his ambition.
He was then being tipped to run for governorship in his home state, Sokoto, especially after his senatorial zone was officially favoured for the position.
But, according to sources who spoke with TheCable, Bola Tinubu, APC national leader, had a meeting with Tambuwal after his defection to APC and asked him to quench media rumours that he was going for governorship.
He reportedly told Tambuwal that he had a good chance of getting the presidential nod of the party as a neutral candidate, following the expected face-off between Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, and Muhammadu Buhari, a retired major-general and former head of state, for the party’s ticket.
Tinubu is believed to be in charge of the largest voting bloc within the party.
The former Lagos governor also sees the 48-year-old Tambuwal as someone the majority of Nigerian voters – who are youths – can “easily connect with”.
Tambuwal is believed to enjoy the backing of some APC governors, but his candidature is also likely to upset certain calculations within the party because he is seen as a late-comer.
Ordinarily, he would not be eligible to run for an elective position in the party because he is a newcomer, but a blanket waiver has been granted to those who just joined the party. This was one of the resolutions at the extraordinary congress held recently.
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