Against the backdrop of the perceived interest of Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema to become the running mate to President Jonathan in next year’s election, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday told the Governor that his bid to become vice president was not feasible, urging him to run for Senate instead.
Anenih, bared his thought on the issue in Katsina, where a stakeholders and reconciliation meeting of the PDP was called with the governor and top party leaders in attendance. It was gathered that his submission caused the parley to end abruptly.
DailyTrust reported that several party stalwarts who spoke at the meeting took time to eulogize Shema over the achievements he has recorded in the state. They all harped on the need for President Jonathan to replace current Vice President, Namadi Sambo with Governor Shema.
However, Anenih, after listening to submissions from most of the stakeholders who requested him to prevail on the president to replace Sambo with Shema was reported to have told the gathering that President Jonathan has made up his mind to run with Sambo in 2015.
The BoT Chairman took time to explain to those present at the meeting that there has not being any precedence within the party to support changing Sambo as running mate. A source at the meeting squealed that Anenih further stated that even when President Obasanjo was having a running battle with his vice, he never contemplated replacing him.
The Source went on to disclose that the BoT Chairman’s assertion did not go down well with most of the people present; causing the meeting to be quickly rounded off. It was learnt that guests did not even wait to take the dinner that was served at the parley.
In his remarks, Shema was said to have told the gathering that he places his belief and destiny in God as what is destined shall definitely come to be.
The Governor’s loyalists have for long been agitating for President Jonathan to replace Sambo with him as his running mate in the 2015 presidential election. There have also been calls from the Northwest, which is home to both Sambo and Shema, for Sambo to be removed from the 2015 presidential ticket of the PDP.
Just yesterday, DailyPost reported that a member of PDP in the zone who is a prominent women leader, Hajia Binta Kuraye had noted that while people of the region want President Goodluck Jonathan to re-contest in 2015, they do not want him to pick Vice President, Namadi Sambo as his running mate. She alleged that the vice-president has not done anything within the four years he has been in office to warrant him enjoying the support of people of the North West.
Meanwhile, a top official of the Katsina State government had disclosed that Anenih later called the Governor to apologize over the way and manner he spoke at the meeting and how it eventually played out.
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