Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, among others have reacted to reports of Mr Peter Obi vying for 2027 presidency with the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as his running mate.
An investigative platform, PidomNigeria, had revealed that it was informed by reliable sources that Obi and El-Rufai ticket is being proposed by power brokers because it is the only formidable force that can unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The platform gathered that power brokers believe Obi has a cult followership, general love, acceptance, and political strength to pull massive votes around SE, SW, SS, and around some North Central states – and that he needs a formidable force to sell and drive his candidacy into the Core-Northern states.
Reacting to this, Bashir Ahmad expressed doubts that the ticket will materialized.
Mr Obi’s supporters also faulted the proposal with different views.
Some acknowledged the stereotype of El-Rufai as a security risk who was declared unfit by the Senate to become a minister.
Last week, Vanguard’s reports said El-Rufai is preparing to fight President Bola Tinubu in a battle that borders around his public humiliation and the stereotype of him as a security risk who is unfit to become a minister.
The publication gathered that El-rufai is prepared to fight Tinubu in at least two courts: the courts of the land where El-Rufai expects to clear his name of the allegation of being a security risk, and also in the court of public opinion where political actors expect him to be a major barricade to the president’s re-election in 2027.
One of El Rufai’s associates, who spoke with Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said: “You think Mallam will allow this tag to abide on him? I can assure you that he is going to clear his name in court.
“El-Rufai is a man who has many contacts internationally and he is not one to allow his reputation to be smeared by the reason given by the Senate of being a security risk.”
Besides the resort to the court of law, it was gathered that the former governor is also mobilising against Tinubu ahead of 2027.
Although it’s not determined whether El-Rufai would stand as a candidate or mobilise against the president in 2027 in the same way he did in supporting him in 2023, his recent moves has spawned speculations.
However, despite his stellar role in helping Tinubu to power, a source close to El-Rufai disclosed that the camp of the former governor believed that it was wrong for him to have been so publicly humiliated and to have been tagged a security risk. CONTINUE READING
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