The PDP Presidential ticket campaign of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has continued to gain traction as more state Governors, corporates and retired military Generals have thrown their weight behind the lawyer from Kebbi State.
Turaki who has been well received in the battleground zone of North West, his zone, is upbeat at his chances of picking the PDP Presidential ticket in the primary election. His coming from the North West is said to have favoured his candidacy as his party has unofficially micro-zoned the Presidential ticket to North West. The candidate of the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, is also from the North West.
Another factor which insiders said favoured Turaki is his zero-corruption pedigree. Key figures in the PDP who have good knowledge of the workings and mindset of the party said most members of the PDP are looking at the prospect of picking someone who is not too politically exposed hence would escape ‘witch-hunt’ from the ruling APC.
Many members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and governors, both past and serving, have settled for Turaki touted as the man that would unseat Buhari in February 2019 election.
“Turaki is being highly discussed and favoured by many of us. He is considered experienced in administration, not too old and not too young at 61 and he has no burden of corruption whatsoever. Again, he is from the North West which is considered the battleground zone for next year’s election.
“If you look around, he is the only candidate that the Buhari government is not likely to blackmail with EFCC arrest and investigation”, a senior PDP member told our reporter.
Turaki, at various times Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North East, has visited most parts of the country in the course of his consultations.
Some of the State Governors are said to be from the South-South and South -East geo-political zones while the Generals come from various parts of the country. They are said to have settled for Turaki based on the facts that he is untainted by the tar of corruption, well-educated, has a good grasp of Nigeria’s problems and solutions, and boasts proven record of performance both as a lawyer and a public servant.
“Besides, Turaki has age and dynamism on his side, being neither old nor too young for the onerous task of President, and comes from the part of the country to which the party has zoned its presidential ticket for the 2019 elections,” a competent source close to the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki Presidential Campaign Organisation said over the weekend.
The source explained that the high-profile endorsements partly account for Turaki’s optimism as he pushes ahead to reach every PDP chapter and personally interact with them before the forthcoming Presidential primary.
Asked for comments, Umar Sani, Deputy Director of Media for the Turaki Campaign Organisation, acknowledged that his principal “enjoys widespread support” but said he would rather prefer to speak on why Turaki deserves the PDP presidential ticket instead of being drawn into the politics of who may have endorsed him.
“His words: “Turaki is sufficiently informed and experienced to provide the solution to Nigeria’s problems. He is a bridge builder and has the integrity, knowledge, good health and dynamism to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari. He can lead the crusade for PDP’s victory in the 2019 polls and save Nigeria from the precipice.”
Umar added that Turaki is also a firm believer in the restructuring of the country and has vowed to take bold steps in this regard if given the PDP ticket and eventually elected the country’s President. “I can also assure you that, if given the mandate, Turaki will improve the country’s security and economy while equally ensuring justice for all parts of the country,” Umar said.
