It is still not clear who Goodluck Jonathan will name as his vice-president although different factions continue to lobby for the job. In the last six days, various names have been bandied about, but the Presidency has refused to be drawn into any speculations. It consistently maintained that an announcement will be made only after the official mourning period.
Yesterday, the governor’s forum and the senators may have damaged their chances of getting their recommendations for the post accepted, when they failed to reach a consensus. The group of governors, who met in Abuja on Monday night, were unable to agree on a suitable candidate. Some 22 governors attended the meeting but they couldn’t decide between Sule Lamido, Ahmed Makarfi or Muktar Shagari.
“We left the meeting without agreeing on who was to be nominated,” said one of those at the meeting.
The situation may eventually favour Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, who was yesterday nominated by a northern faction of the Senators. One of the contenders, Kanti Bello, a Senator from Katsina state, told reporters that the decision of the caucus to nominate Mr Makarfi was “silly”. Mr Bello, who had opposed the ‘doctrine of necessity’ that the Senate used to empower Mr Jonathan as acting president, argued that the Northern Senators Forum had no business dictating to the President who his vice president should be saying: “It is a People’s Democratic People (PDP) affair”. He claimed he has been short-listed for the post and has a better chance.
However, the leader of the forum, Umaru Dahiru, in a separate interview, said the caucus was resolute and united in their recommendation that Mr Makarfi be appointed the Vice President.
Mr. Dahiru said Mr Makarfi got the support of all northern senators after they considered his qualifications.
“We have the largest gathering of meetings today. We are 58 in number, we have the Senate President among us, and we had over 40 in attendance. We have more than two third to take a decision. Anybody with two third can dictate,” Mr. Dahiru told National Assembly reporters after the meeting which lasted for about two hours.
“We looked into the qualities of the person involved as a bridge. He was once there with the executive and he is now with the legislators. We thought it wise if we can rally round one of us that has that kind of experience and we thought it wise to pick the person of Ahmed Makarfi,” he added.
A slot for president
Mr Makarfi was the governor of Kaduna State between 1999 and 2007. He left the governors’ office to join the Senate in 2007. He has however suffered from ill health in the past and this may yet cast doubts on his nomination. He has Sickle Cell Anaemia and, by a strange twist of fate, was flown abroad late last year for extensive treatment which lasted three months.
Mr.Dahiru, however, said the choice of Mr Makarfi, who is from the North West, would pave way for easy “clearance” by the National Assembly.
“Since the North has lost the presidency which now resides in the South, it is only logical that when the President wants to pick the vice president he should narrow it to the North, not only that, he should pick somebody from the North West.
“Again we appeal that the President carries the National Assembly along in the process, particularly the Senate. Our members, after exhaustive meeting, decided to pick Makarfi as our choice,” Mr. Dahiru added.
Next
