Former
head of state and Congress for Progressive Change presidential
candidate in the 2011 election, Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.) may
drop his presidential ambition in 2015, as part of ongoing merger
negotiations between his party and the Action Congress of Nigeria.
Saturday PUNCH’s investigations
showed that although the CPC and the ACN had not begun full
discussions, there was an initial understanding that the leadership of
both parties must be ready to make personal sacrifices for the success
of the merger plan.
An influential member of one of the parties involved in the negotiations told Saturday PUNCH
on Thursday that such a personal sacrifice might include asking Buhari
and the ACN National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to drop their
ambitions in 2015.
After the 2011 elections, Buhari had
said that he would not run for the office of the President again,
having failed to win the election three times.
But during the inauguration of the CPC
merger committee in Abuja on January 16, the former head of state said
that the ongoing merger talks by the major opposition political parties
would determine if he would run for president in 2015.
Although Tinubu has not declared any
presidential ambition for 2015, there have been reports that he may run
on a joint ticket with Buhari.
It was gathered that the merger partners had started working on another plan, if Buhari and Tinubu were barred from contesting.
This is based on the fear that unless the duo forgo any 2015 ambition, the merger plan might fail.
PUNCH
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