There were very strong indications at the weekend that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC) are ready to fully engage leaders of their new party, former military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, and former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over the growing suggestion that both men are plotting to contest as presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2015 elections.

“The plot to ensure that Buhari and Tinubu both emerge is thickening. By the same token, opposition to the scheme heightened at the weekend based on contacts with some APC governors,” says a report this morning in Sunday Vanguard.

“There is,” according to the paper, “the downside of how to convince a few Christian leaders of the APC who are still bemused by the possibility of a Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket.”

It quotes unnamed dependable sources as saying: “The seed for the emergence of a Muslim/Muslim ticket was sown when the two major promoters of the merger which became the APC (Buhari and Tinubu) signified their intention to run.”

The paper quotes an unnamed northern governor as telling it in Abuja last week: “The realisation that there might be a very serious challenge against the candidacy of Buhari created the ground for the proposition of a consensus arrangement.”

As quoted by the paper, an APC leader from the South-West also said: “The consensus arrangement is expected to throw up Buhari as the presidential candidate while Tinubu would be his running mate.

“The electoral calculation has already been concluded and the party leaders are upbeat that they would defeat President Goodluck Jonathan with what they have seen on ground regarding their SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis – this is principally based on the perceived numerical strength of Muslims in the North and South West geo-political zone.

“Let me tell you, to convince them otherwise would be difficult and they believe they can pull it off, especially with the perceived lack luster disposition of President Jonathan.”

Sunday Vanguard equally quotes three unnamed state governors that they would resist that “type of imposition.”

The paper says it was gathered that no fewer than three APC governors are angling to emerge as either the presidential candidate or running mate for the 2015 election.

It adds that apart from the state governors, some Christian leaders in APC are also frowning at the purported APC Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket, sadying: “In fact, the likes of Chief Audu Ogbeh, Second Republic Minister of Communication and former National Chairman of PDP, as well as Sam Isa-Ndaiah, publisher of Leadership newspapers, have vowed to resist any such imposition if true and are ready to fight it to the end.”

•Photo shows a cross section of APC governors.

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