Why Ciroma, others didn’t canvass support for Buhari, Ribadu

Adamu Ciroma

Indications emerged that the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), headed by Malam Adamu Ciroma may not canvass support for any of the three northerners in the presidential race because the contestants didn’t bother to seek NPLF’s support. Sunday Trust gathered last night that the forum is still not satisfied with the level of commitment and capacity of the three presidential candidates as it declared in its communiqué last week. The candidates are the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC’s) Muhammadu Buhari; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN’s) Nuhu Ribadu and All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP’s) Ibrahim Shekarau.

On whether the forum is contemplating CPC’s Buhari, the National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Mr Rotimi Fasakin said that he was not aware of such moves by the Ciroma group.“We don’t know anything like that yet. There are no such moves as far as I know. We are not aware of such moves by the Ciroma group,” he said.

Several attempts by this reporter to speak to Ciroma or the forum’s Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, were not fruitful. Ciroma told this reporter on telephone that he “can only talk to this reporter after Thursday.” It was learnt that the NPLF has been holding several meeting over the weekend. A major decision is likely to be taken during the group’s meeting scheduled for Thursday, an inside source said.

But the National Chairman of the Conference for Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa told Sunday Trust last night that the Ciroma group is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) affair, therefore it is understandable if it refused to canvass support for Buhari or any of the northern presidential candidate.

“Ciroma group is a collection of PDP leaders, not northern leaders. Their concern, therefore, is the PDP. Their consensus issue is restricted to the PDP and that was why they called only aspirants within the PDP. Their powers can only be exercised within the PDP,” said.

Also, Ciroma’s foot-dragging, the source said, may have something to do with the speculations going round that some of the presidential candidates are sponsored by the Presidency to serve as spoilers. Ribadu spokesperson, Malam Ibrahim Modibbo didn’t pick his calls when this reporter called him last night.