Vice President Namadi Sambo's 2015 ambition which was unveiled by the media at the PDP north-west zonal meeting in Kaduna has been said to be an attempt by mischievous politicians who want to see the VP and his boss lock-horns. This however has attracted reactions from different quarters as our correspondent delves into the issue. There has been mixed feelings within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the North-west executive meeting held September 8, 2011 in Kaduna where a branded vehicle was seen with some youths decked in T-shirts and face-caps, bearing Vice President Namadi Sambo's pictures with the inscription 'The Promise, Namadi Project.'This led to media reports indicating that VP Sambo has launched his presidential bid for 2015 even as his supporters turned the North-west zonal meeting of the PDP in Kaduna into a launching pad for his 2015 presidency project. Some youths were seen raising banners and flyers extolling the political virtues of the vice president and his preparedness to vie for the presidency in 2015.Speaking through his spokesman, Umar Sani, the vice president refuted the report, saying it was an act of mischief and figment of the imagination of the writers. It was also noted that the vice president has not mandated anyone to campaign or promote his cause.According to Sani, the vice president was only accorded a rousing welcome as a normal tradition reminiscent of the funfair accorded to such personalities to recognise their presence at political events such as the PDP Northwest zonal meeting.'Nothing throughout the occasion suggested the existence of any project. The presence of the branded vehicle was used by mischief makers to perpetrate falsehood. The VP is resolutely committed to the transformation agenda of Mr. President,' he said.There was however speculations that the North-west PDP would want to groom Sambo against 2015 if Jonathan finally adheres to his promise of not contesting in 2015.Daily Trust gathered from a chieftain of the PDP who was at the meeting but preferred anonymity that their discussion was centred on the concern of the North-west PDP, which is how to position itself in the 2015 political equation.Commenting on whether deliberations were made on 2015 presidency, he said, 'We are already preparing for it particularly in view of the possibility that President Jonathan may not contest for the office when the time comes. This zone is still relevant in the scheme of things after the death of the President Umaru Musa Yar'adua, considering that he did not complete his term in office,' he said.He noted that the vice president is the leader of the north presently, stressing that if the calculation is right, it means that they have to embark on serious work for him to succeed Jonathan in 2015.Also, reacting to the report, the Patron of the Jonathan/Sambo Victory Forum, Shehu Aminu condemned the declaration of Vice President Namadi Sambo as the northern candidate for the 2015 presidential election by a group, explaining that scores of vehicles branded with the vice president's photograph only transported the party supporters to the venue of the meeting at Hassan Usman Katsina House.On his part, Ustaz Muhammad Usman who is the national coordinator of the forum feels it is very wrong for any group to campaign for Sambo against 2015, saying it is a mischievous attempt to set him on a collision course with his boss or with other contenders in the region. He said that PDP will ensure that the mischievous politicians behind the act are fished out and disciplined 'because we believe they are people who do not wish the country well and people who enjoy seeing the president and the deputy at loggerheads,' he added.The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Yakowa of Kaduna State, Reuben Buhari also refuted the report. Similarly, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaloma, PDP chieftain in Kaduna debunked the reports, saying it was a calculated attempt to pitch the vice president against his boss.'The report is not only mischievous but aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the vice president and also to create enmity between him and his boss. What is unknown to the mischief makers is that the vice president is committed to the joint ticket given to him and President Goodluck Jonathan by Nigerians,' he added.Kaloma maintained that, 'The National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP North-west Zone as the Communiqu shows was a normal meeting of the party aimed at appraising the performance of the party at the last polls and also to strategise for the Sokoto and Katsina polls,' he said.Meanwhile, the chairman of PDP North-west zone, Ambassador Ibrahim Musa Kazaure highlighted in a statement issued after the meeting that the party expresses its gratitude to the vice president for his role as the leader of the party in the zone. It also recognized the need for discipline among party members and directs the formation of disciplinary committees at all levels of the party as provided for in the party's constitution.The meeting also deliberated on the forthcoming party congresses and national convention while it called on members to ensure that the on-going party membership drive succeeds, adding that the party should be prepared for the elections in Sokoto and Katsina states. The zonal election committee was formed to strategize on the ways of winning elections in the states.In spite of the denial by Vice President Namadi Sambo and associates that he was warming up for the 2015 presidential race, the Kaduna State Chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said that the VP lacked the capacity to head the affairs of the entire country even if he did not deny the report.The chairman of ACN in Kaduna State Mohammed Musa Soba said that whether the media report was true or not, Sambo is too much in a haste to begin to eye the presidency.'He is too much in haste, and he doesn't even have the capacity to lead the country. From the totality of his achievements as the Kaduna State governor, he is too weak to rule a state, not to talk of the whole country. It is also too early for him to express the ambition, he should drop the ambition,' Soba said.According to Shehu Sani, rights campaigner and the President of Civil Rights Congress (CRC), politicians will always deny their ambition when they perceive the consequence of it. 'Notwithstanding, the chicken will come to roost in the next two years whether he likes it or not.'When government is just few months into office, any form of campaign now will create disharmony between him and his boss and that will as well overheat the polity. So, it is either mischief makers are at work or the VP's men simply sending signals that he has interest in the presidency. I believe he can never say he has no presidential ambition, he can only say for now,' Sani added.
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