A clear poor performance of the APC led federal government has since changed the mood of Nigerians as regards 2019 presidential election. The general feeling amongst Nigerians is no more if APC could retain the presidency, but who is the best material in the opposition PDP that can take over from President Buhari.
The hardship plaguing Nigerians and insecurity of lives and properties have compulsorily made Nigerians to get preoccupied with the mental search for is good enough in the PDP to secure them and take away their cups of economic sorrow. Hence the need to appraise the qualities and character uprightness of four of the major individuals that have so far expressed interest to contest for president under the umbrella platform of the PDP.
Atiku Abubakar is a household name as far as Nigerian politics is concerned. He has been in the political arena of the country since he retired from the Nigerian Custom Service. He contested the 1993 presidential primaries under the banner of Social Democratic Party before he was prevailed upon to step down for Chief MKO Abiola. Atiku is so deft in political engineering and calculations.
Atiku contested and won the governorship of his home state, Adamawa before Chief Olusegun Obasanjo chose him as his running mate in the 1999 president election. He eventually won election alongside Obasanjo as Nigerian Vice President. The relationship between Atiku and former president Obasanjo became very frosty at the time the duos were in charge of Nigerian presidency. Their relationship even grew so sour to a level that the two of them were highly suspicious of each other. But credit must be given to Atiku for demonstrating the capacities to create wealth and jobs for Nigerians.
Record has it that Atiku has contested for president on four different occasions. His age is also a minus to his aspiration. He would have turned 72 years of age by 2019 if he wins the election. Virtually all Nigerian youths are circumspect of having another septuagenarian as their president in view of the health challenges of the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
Alhaji Sule Lamido can be regarded as an old timer in Nigerian politics. He entered politics as a member of the left-of-center People’s Redemption Party (PRP) in the Second Republic. He had gone ahead to become the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the Nigerian third republic. Lamido was severely criticized for his handling of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections won by Moshood Abiola, who was prevented from taking office and eventually died in custody while pushing to reclaim his mandate.
Sule Lamido was appointed as the nation’s Foreign Affairs Minister by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 having contested and narrowly lost Jigawa state governorship election. He later recontested and won election as the governor of his home state, Jigawa. Lamido served two terms as a governor and did his best to transform and reposition Jigawa state. He deserves credit as a loyal and consistent party man. He stayed firmly loyal to the PDP even in the face of crisis when five governors of the party decamped to the then opposition APC.
Lamido has always expressed his desire to rule Nigeria and he is undoubtedly qualified for the exalted office of president. However, his age and cases of corruption against him in courts would serve as major impediments to his aspiration. Sule Lamido will soon attain 70 years of age and would have become 71 if he wins election as president.
Ahmed Makarfi was a two term governor of Kaduna state from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He was subsequently elected a senator for Kaduna North in April 2007. He ran for reelection on the PDP platform and was reelected in 2011 as senator. Makarfi had earlier served in the Executive Council of Kaduna state as Honorable Commissioner of Finance and Economic Planning.
He is the immediate past caretaker Chairman of the PDP having being appointed at the Port Harcourt Convention. One of the major political achievements of Ahmed Makarfi was the successfully conducted elective national convention of the PDP that produced Prince Uche Secondus as the substantive National Chairman of the party.
Ibrahim Dankwambo is the incumbent executive governor of Gombe state and he is now serving his second term in office. He contested in 2011 and won with a landslide victory; a feat Dankwambo repeated when he re-contested as governor in 2015.
Dankwambo is reputed to have made his mark while serving as the Accountant General of the Federation. To his credit are several innovative achievements that he recorded while serving as the Accountant General of the Federation. He has also been described as the best thing to have happened to Gombe State since its creation in 1996. Little wonder he was recently adjudged the Best Northern Governor in view of his landmark achievements.
Dankwambo has simply transformed Gombe State far beyond the expectations of his people. He has turned around the fortune of the state through his numerous verifiable achievements and giant strides. He has initiated and completed whole lots of projects in spite of lean resources of Gombe State. Ibrahim Dankwambo has taken full advantages of his uncommon brilliance and wealth of economic management to achieve much result with the little resources available to the state.
Dankwambo has so far devoted serious attention and deployed huge resources to security of lives and properties, provision of water, housing, rural development and welfare of Gombe state civil servants. Provision of state of the art communication equipment, sports development, attainment of millennium development goals, beautification and lightening of the state and provision of foreign technical assistance have been the major concern of Dankwambo. Gombe now boasts of one of the best road networks in the country and unarguably the best International Conference Center in Nigeria.
A major advantage of Dankwambo over other gladiators in the contest for PDP presidential ticket is the fact that he is a relatively young man. He is only 55 years of age; which makes him the youngest amongst the contestants. Another factor is the fact that he does not have any allegation or charges of corruption against him in court of law. These are coupled with the facts that he is super brilliant scholar, a goal getter, a flexibly dynamic individual and a proven innovative achiever who can turn around the bad economy of Nigeria.
Candidacy of Ibrahim Dankwambo will readily enjoy huge acceptance and support from millions of Nigerians who are daily yearning for a breath of fresh air and better governance.
Bidemi wrote this piece from Ibadan, Oyo State.
