Tambuwal Set To Claim Senatorial Ticket After Presidential Primaries

Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has perfected plans to be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Sokoto South following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.

Mr Tambuwal, whose statutory second-term as governor ends next year, had sought to be his party’s presidential candidate but stepped down and endorsed Mr Atiku just before the commencement of voting during the primary.

Mr Atiku went on to win the primary election scoring 371 votes.

Though he did not contest in the Sokoto South senatorial primary in his state, Mr Tambuwal has concluded plans to replace the winner of the contest, Aminu Bodinga, as the party’s candidate during the national Assembly election next year.

Mr Bodinga, the immediate past commissioner for land and survey, was elected unopposed.

Sources close to the Sokoto State government told this newspaper that Mr Tambuwal asked the former commissioner to stand as a proxy while he contested to be the party’s presidential candidate.

“Wasn’t it shocking that only Aminu Bala Bodinga contested for the seat? All the other aspirants refused to buy the form when they learnt that His Excellency had a plan B,” a chieftain of the PDP from Shagari Local Government said.

He insisted that most of the cabinet members were aware of the “arrangement.”

The source said Mr Tambuwal co-opted the former commissioner to help execute his plan because Mr Bodinga is one of his staunchest loyalists.

“They’re close friends and I can tell you no one knows the depth of their friendship”

The source said when the time comes, Mr Bodinga will tell the party of his decision not to contest the election which will give Mr Tambuwal the opportunity to substitute him as the party’s candidate.

When contacted for talks on the issue, governor Tambuwal’s spokesperson, Muhammadu Bello, said he was not aware of the arrangement.

He sent a terse reply thus: “I don’t know”

Mr Bodinga didn’t respond to several calls and an SMS sent to him by this reporter. After attempts to get his response failed, the phone number stopped connecting.