- Promised both governors Vice President slot
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu tricked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state and his Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Bagudu, to secure his place as the party’s flagbearer.
According to inside sources who spoke to Chronicle NG, Tinubu promised both El-Rufai and Bagudu the vice-presidential slot weeks before the presidential primary on June 6 at the Eagle Square in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The two men then began to work seriously behind the scenes to ensure that Tinubu emerges the party candidate. According to a source close to the party hierarchy, both men deployed all their arsenals to help Tinubu emerge.
The source told Chronicle NG that Tinubu promised more than two people the vice presidential slot but did not plan to give any of them because he saw them as power drunk politicians who were already positioning themselves for the top job.
The source said that it was Senator Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate now that told El-Rufai that Tinubu had picked him as running mate. “It’s a sour twist for Malam (El-Rufai). The man thought that he would be the running mate because that was the deal he had in place and that was why he worked for Tinubu at the primaries.
The source added that, “It was Shettima that Tinubu sent to El-Rufai. The former Borno governor told him that he no interest in becoming the Vice President. El-Rufai fell for it, he saw himself as the vice-presidential candidate only to be schemed out of things.
According to the source, the former Lagos governor did not only fail to honour their agreement but went further to ridicule El-Rufai by not consulting him before announcing Shettima. “Malam (El-Rufai) saw that as a slap to his face but he is not alone, the North West governors are with him and they plan to pay Asiwaju back,” the source said.
Bagudu, the governor of Kebbi and a North West governor was also schemed out of things by the Tinubu camp. He was also promised same thing as El-Rufai and was left hanging at the last minute. A source close to the arrangement told Chronicle NG that Bagudu was seeking immunity and saw a way out as VP.
“He wanted immunity and he found that in the VP slot which has been given to His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima. Although Bagudu attended the unveiling of Shettima, he is not happy at all and I think this is a big problem in the APC.
The source said that Tinubu’s political game against the North West could cost APC in the general election. “We all know that whosoever gets the North West votes will win the election and with the look of things, if the fracture in the party is not quickly repaired it could prove costly.
Asked if the North West governors will leave the party, the source said, “There is no way that will happen. These are senior party men and they are committed to the party and President Muhammadu Buhari. I believe that they will solve these issues one way or another.
