Bukola Saraki has the potential to be beneficial to the country. His vision has the potential to push Nigeria up and rebuild the country’s sagging basis. However, he faces some significant challenges in his presidential campaign.
In 2018, he fought hard against Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, who came in second, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who later became the presidential candidate of the opposition People’s Democratic Party. Saraki may now face a significantly more difficult task this time around.
His ambition is hampered by the PDP’s national chairman. Mr. Iyorchia Ayu’s origins in the north-central region may provide a challenge to Mr. Bukola Saraki’s presidential bid. In fact, persuading the party will be difficult for him.
In October 2021, the PDP elected a new national chairman to succeed Mr. Uche Secondus. And there was a serious disagreement inside the PDP’s political forces. Saraki would prefer that the chairman come from a different zone than the north-central one.
The PDP caucus in the north, on the other hand, determined that the chairman should be from Benue State. Niger, Kwara, Nassarawa, Plateau, and Kogi State are among the other states in the region. Mr. Ayu emerged at the end of the proceedings.
True, politics is dynamic, and if Saraki works hard enough, anything may happen. However, it is difficult to believe that the PDP will be so generous as to select both the chairman and the presidential candidate from the same zone.
The second issue or constraint is that Kwara State is governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC). It should be one of the criteria used to determine whether a presidential candidate’s state of origin is under the PDP.
Even if it isn’t acknowledged, a politician isn’t as influential if his state isn’t affiliated with the political party he wants to run for president. Other aspirants appear to be in luck. Both Sokoto and Adamawa are controlled by the PDP.
Mr. Aminu Tambuwal and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar may gain an advantage over Mr. Bukola Saraki as a result of this. Saraki’s presidential campaign in 2023 will thus be hampered.
