By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Beneath the resolve of the Northern governors for unity in projecting a regional presidential candidate in 2015 is a personal battle by some for superiority. How long will the resolve hold?

Given the hitherto dominance of the North in the nation’s polity, it was not surprising that the region’s 19 governors would seek a reawakening of that culture of northern political superiority when they met last week. At the end of the meeting, the governors pledged to unify behind a northern presidential candidate in the 2015 elections.

Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, said the northern governors, this time around, would not allow what happened in 2011 to repeat itself in 2015 as they would unite against candidates from the south.

“We must be united more than ever to go into the 2015 elections as one entity with the aim of producing the president”.He said.

However, controversy immediately blighted that resolution following allegations that a number of the governors from the meeting rushed to the Presidential Villa to explain themselves or detach themselves from the resolution.

Remarkably, some of those mentioned included the more vocal governors, who were at the press briefing where the communique was read in Kaduna last thursday.

Indeed, the controversy on the unanimity of the Northern governors was further raised at the weekend when one of the prominent governors, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State almost vitiated the resolve of his colleagues when he blasted erstwhile Head of State and Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC) leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, over the latter’s insistence on a free and fair election in 2015.

L-R: Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna with chairman, Northern Governors Forum, Dr Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State during one of their meetings in Kaduna

“Buhari has no moral right to accuse anybody of rigging because his party CPC also rigged election in the last general elections in areas it was strong enough to do so,” Laimido said at the weekend when he accompanied his Katsina State counterpart, Ibrahim Shema on a courtesy call on the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Mahammadu Sanusi.

It would be recalled that Buhari had last week warned of dire consequences, if the 2015 elections were rigged as according to him, were done in 2011.

Given the seeming backtrack it is not surprising that the prediction of some political observers that the percived resolve of the Northern governors in Kaduna could only have been a sham.

Many of the governors including the second term governors, who ordinarily should be positioning themselves for the presidency, it was learnt are now fighting among themselves for a position in the 2015 ticket of President Goodluck Jonathan.

One of those allegedly being considered to soothe the angst of the North is incidentally Dr. Aliyu, the incumbent governor of Niger State  It is thus not surprising that Aliyu himself was the subject of some vicious attacks from within the North.

One of the bodies to have recently attacked him is Arewa Youth Forum,(AYF) led by Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the recent Kaduna meeting of the governors, Gunjungu charged the governors to bury their heads in shame saying that the governors had allowed the region to deteriorate without as much as showing any resolve to check the malaise.

He followed up with a personal attack on the leadership of the Northern Governors Forum saying that Governor Aliyu should resign immediately.

“The best thing is for Governor Aliyu to give way to a much more robust and proactive person, who can pave the way for a genuine dialogue so that peace may reign in the region.”

It is as such not surprising that some associates of Governor Aliyu would trace the attack against their principal to the camp of Vice President Namadi Sambo, who would be the immediate casualty in the rearrangement of the presidential ticket.

Some in the Aliyu camp allege that the AYF leader is a political associate of the Vice-President.

Gujungu, however, denied the claims as he told Vanguard in a telephone interview that he is neither a friend nor associate of the Vice-President. Rather he said that his attack against Dr. Aliyu and the NGF were wholly based on the critical situation in the North.

“I dont know the Vice-President personally and it was only when he was governor in Kaduna State that we once organised a public lecture which he attended.”

“There are a lot of people who feel that they can blackmail somebody. We are discussing the issue of Northern Nigeria and it is not wrong for us to awaken our Northern governors which. We are very happy that after our call that they came and held a meeting in which they now discussed the New Nigerian Newspapers and other issues. That is our main issue.”

Gujungu, also dismissed insinuations that his group was being projected to defend one of the northern interest groups in the 2015 presidential contest.

“2015 is not our mind and that is why we called on them to forget about 2015 and concentrate on Northern transformation. It is too early to discuss 2015,” he said.

Remarkably, President Goodluck Jonathan has himself said that 2015 is not on his mind. But beneath the veneer of the politicking all around him and his perceived political rivals is the jostling for 2015.