Strong indications have emerged that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, will soon defect to the All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party after a nationwide consultation.
The ongoing nationwide consultation by the Speaker is to determine whether he would contest the Presidency or the Sokoto State governorship election in 2015.
Tambuwal’s media aide, Imam Imam, told ouir correspondent in Abuja that the speaker was still consulting on the 2015 presidency and the defection to the APC.
“He (Tambuwal) is still consulting. The outcome of the consultation will be known at the appropriate time. He is consulting on whether he will defect to the APC. He is consulting on whether he will contest the presidency. He is also consulting on contesting governorship election.”
The speaker had on Tuesday, last week held a secret meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta,
after which Imam said Obasanjo and the speaker discussed the state of the nation.
He had said that “You know Baba (Obasanjo) is father to all in the country. The visit was a consultation. It was about how to move the country forward and make the country better.”
Tambuwal however gave the biggest hint about his planned defection on Sunday in his hometown, Tambuwal, Sokoto State, when he said after collecting his permanent voter card, in a response to inquiries about if he would defect to the APC.
Sources said that Tambuwal said in Hausa that “Kowa ni tsuntsu kukan gidan su yake yi”, meaning “birds of a feather flock together.”
The speaker has enjoyed a strong support of the APC members in the House, the support which was instrumental to his defeat of Mulikat Akande-Adeola, the candidate that the PDP backed for the position of a speaker.
Should Tambuwal decides to settle for the presidential race, he may have to contend with the likes of former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and a former Kwara State Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki.
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