Run for president, 80 Reps, associates tell Tambuwal

Tambuwal

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal is likely to run for president.

Eighty members of the House yesterday obtained the nomination form, which will be presented to Tambuwal today in Abuja. He could accept or decline the offer.

Some of the Representatives stormed the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) at about 5pm to collect the form from the party’s National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso.

Those mandated to get the form were Yakubu Dogara(Bauchi), Idris Wase (Plateau), Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos), Zakary Mohammed (Kwara), Emmanuel Jime(Benue), Abiodun Faleke, Samuel Adejare(Lagos) and Peter Ede(Ebonyi).

For about 30 minutes, the delegation was with the National Organising Secretary.

After the paper work, the Representatives were ambushed by reporters but they refused to speak with the press.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We came around to collect the presidential nomination form for the Speaker because we believe he has the requisite qualifications and integrity to lead the nation in 2015.

“Those behind this project include 80 members of the House of Representatives, friends and associates of the Speaker from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

“We refused to disclose our mission to the press because we want to formally present the nomination form to him on Friday (today). He has the right to accept or reject the offer.”

Another source said: “We waited for this long because we were busy consulting some opinion leaders in all parts of the country. The consultations took us about three months.

“The Speaker is cosmopolitan, a man of peace and a peculiar leader who can be a source of unity for all Nigerians. He has the wisdom, the patience and the vision to lead this country.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “We are aware that some respected leaders of our party are aspiring to be APC presidential candidate in 2015.

“What we have done is to make Tambuwal part of the list to widen choices for party members. This is without prejudice to the aspiration of all these aspirants who are eminently qualified as well to be president.”

The Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media, Imam Imam, confirmed that some members of the House bought a form for Tambuwal.

He said:  “Earlier today, some friends and political associates of the Speaker notified him that they have bought a presidential nomination form for him”.

The collection of the form for Tambuwal was however with a tinge of drama between the National Organising Secretary of APC, Osita Izunaso and reporters.

The drama went thus:

Is it true that some members of the House of Reoresentatives came to your office to  obtain a nomination form for Speaker Aminu Tambuwal?

I am not aware and cannot confirm it.

But some members of the House of Representatives just left your office. What was their mission?

They came and we had a very useful meeting and they promised to come back tomorrow morning.

What was the meeting about?

We had to discuss about the future of the party as it concerns the House of Representatives and they are coming back here in the morning and we are looking at the time table, the overall timetable for the party.

In your record, has Aminu Tambuwal collected presidential nomination form?

No as at 4.00pm today (Thursday).

What has happened after 4pm?

Izunaso, who was clad in a grey Safari, burst into laughter.