Nigeria: 7 Months to Elections – Number of Presidential Aspirants Hits 46

July 30, 2018 Amebo9ja News 0

With barely 200 days to next year’s general elections, the political chessboard is replete with twists and turns, even as the number of aspirants jostling for various elective positions is increasing by the day. Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday reveal that no fewer than 46 politicians have indicated their intentions to throw their hats in the presidential ring on different political platforms to slug it out with incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the timetable and schedule of activities released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) earlier this year, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are expected to hold on February 16, 2019.

The PDP lost political power after ruling the country for 16 years, having produced three presidents over the period, namely: Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Musah Yar Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.

Already, President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who upstaged the PDP-led government in 2015 has indicated his intention to seek a second term. Buhari had made his declaration after a prolonged silence on April 9 during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC.

The President reportedly said that having made wide consultations and conscious of the need to consolidate on his achievements in office, he had decided to stand for re-election, adding that he had been under tremendous pressure to make the declaration and felt it was courteous to first inform the NEC before going to town with it.

Earlier on March 1, the APC passed a vote of confidence in President Buhari, denying that it was not the same as endorsing the President for a second term.

The national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was recently reported to have endorsed the second term bid of President Buhari, saying as incumbent he had the right of first refusal of the party’s presidential ticket, but checks by Daily Trust on Sunday indicate that two others have also indicated interest in the APC’s presidential ticket in 2019.

Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, a United States-based Nigerian is one of them. On April 30, 2018 was reported to have been hosted by the Nigerian Union Diaspora, NUD, during which he declared his intention to vie for the Presidency of Nigeria on the platform of the APC.

Also, 35-year-old Adamu Garba, the Chief Executive Officer of IPI Solutions Nigeria Limited, a cloud computing company headquartered in Lagos had in April reportedly announced his interest to contest the presidential ticket of the APC.

2019 Presidential Hopefuls

Compiled By Haruna Ibrahim

1.Kingsley Moghalu

2.Sule Lamido- Pdp

3.Donald Duke-Pdp

4.Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-Pdp

5.Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi-Pdp

6.Ibrahim Dankwambo-Pdp

7.Muhammadu Buhari-Apc

8. Fela Durotoye-

9. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies- Pdp

10.Remi Sonaiya- Kowa