… For talks with govs, political leaders

By JIDE AJANI

The Mallam Adamu Ciroma  nine-man committee of the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, in search of a consensus candidate for the North, was billed to meet with some political leaders in the South between yesterday and today, Sunday Vanguard can reveal.

The focus of the meeting would be to brief the southern leaders on the parameters employed by the committee in choosing its consensus candidate.

A source close to the committee said its leaders “would be meeting with political leaders in the geo-political zones in the southern part of the country between Saturday, November 6, 2010 and Sunday, November, 7, 2010.”

“The meeting”, the source went on, “would focus on the imperatives of keeping the southern leaders abreast of developments regarding the wider consultations on the nine-man committee in the three geo-political zones of the North.

“Specifically, the committee would be meeting with the political leaders of the South East geo-political zone, including, possibly, but not limited to the state governors.“The committee would also meet with some political leaders in the South South geo-political zone where members would also hold talks with political leaders.”

The same thing would happen in the South West geo-political zone”, the source said. The NPLF has been working with some leaders in the southern part of the country to forge an alliance with a view to ensuring that whoever emerges as the consensus candidate would be generally acceptable to a larger section of  Nigerians public.

Also, such a candidate, it is expected should be able to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan at the polls next April.

Sunday Vanguard was reliably informed that the meeting of the NPLF nine-man committee with leaders in the south is “to prepare them for the announcement of the consensus choice this week”.

It was learnt that the reason  the announcement of the candidate is still being delayed is not unconnected with the guidelines
expected to be announced by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, regarding congresses and primaries which would lead to the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate.

Some members of the NPLF are said to be insisting that the group should wait for the announcement of the guidelines before making public the consensus choice while another group is insisting that the name should be immediately announced.

Those insisting on a delay of the announcement are claiming that an early announcement would enable the opposition, in this case the Jonathan camp, to focus attention on the consensus candidate while those clamouring for an immediate announcement insist that once a consensus candidate has been announced, whatever actions taken against such a person would be clearly interpreted by members of the public as a voyage in witch hunt.