One of the aides and political associates to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal has said that the lawmamker will not make an open declaration on the 2015 presidential race, despite the pressures being mounted on him by some prominent Nigerians from the north.
The close source has disclosed that Tambuwal, who still remains an active and loyal member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would do everything realistic to promote the interest and the ideology of the ruling party.
The first major call on Tambuwal to look beyond his current political office came from the former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, at the recent 2012 Vanguard Newspaper’s award. He asked Tambuwal to go for a higher position in 2015.
Babangida averred that since Tambuwal had performed creditably as No. 4 citizen, the next thing for him was to go for a higher office, which many Nigerians have taken to be the presidency.
Since then, the opposition has joined those calling on Tambuwal to pick the APC ticket.
An associate of the speaker, who does not want his name mentioned said that Tambuwal had never shown interest in the race and had decided to keep mum in spite of the clarion call on him to forge ahead.
“Let me tell you categorically that the speaker has never told anyone under heaven that he is interested in the presidential election of 2015. We have discussed this time without number and he is not comfortable with the speculation, especially as this is pitting him against the PDP and the presidency. But what can we do? He has decided to ignore the speculation, yet it has not ceased,” he said.
The source further said that the day Gen. Babangida raised the issue where he was honoured by the Vanguard Newspapers, Tambuwal “was shocked to the marrow, but there was nothing he could do. After all he would not stop Gen. Babangida from expressing his views. He even asked his aides to stop giving it any attention”.
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