15 Politicians Who May Run For President In 2019

Midway into the mandate of the current
political leaders, the body language of many
prominent politicians and those close to them
in major political parties, including the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) among others,
indicate that a struggle for the coveted
presidential seat is being nursed
surreptitiously. While some may likely seek
new political platforms, some will remain
where they are to slug it out, a development
that will prove intriguing. We took a look at
some of those who may likely test their
political might come 2019.

President Muhammadu Buhari
Although President Muhammadu Buhari has
not declared his interest in seeking a second
term, the possibility that he will do so cannot
be ruled out as his loyalists and political
associates have continued to fly that kite,
some quite enthusiastically. Just this January,
the chairman of the Progressive Governors
Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, asked
his fellows in the South-East not to talk about
an Igbo presidency until after Buhari’s tenure,
saying the president has a tenure to work for
four or eight years according to the zoning
arrangement of the ruling APC, a claim yet to
be debunked by the party.
Buhari’s handlers in the Presidency also seem
to believe that the earlier they begin to woo
Nigerians for Buhari’s re-election, the better.
Last month while addressing a pro-Buhari
crowd, the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Babachir David Lawal hinted at
the possibility of President Buhari running in
2019.
One of the presidential spokesmen, Malam
Garba Shehu, had also last year expressed
confidence that the electorate would not
abandon Buhari in 2019, claiming that the
president’s “enormous” goodwill remained
strong because the people were convinced
that he was acting in their best interest
despite “temporary, unintended consequences
of reforms.” The president, as usual, will have
the final word on the subject.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo
The possibility that Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo may run for the 2019 Presidency
cannot be ruled out, and those who do not see
him as a potential candidate for the next
presidential election might be shocked. There
are permutations that if Buhari chooses not to
seek a re-election, he might present his
deputy for the job. Those who uphold this
position are relying on the fact that the
president is known for rewarding loyalty,
which they believe Osinbajo has so far
demonstrated.
Professor Osinbajo has been acting as
president since January 19 when his boss
embarked on vacation in the United Kingdom.
And already, some have argued that with the
various policy decisions taken in Buhari’s
absence, Osinbajo has the gravitas to govern
the nation. Nevertheless, if President Buhari
decides to run for second term, the question of
whether or not Professor Yemi Osinbajo
should be considered for the country’s number
two position might arise, especially from
vested interests within the APC.
Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The former governor of Lagos State is one
politician whose likely declaration for 2019
presidency may not take people by surprise,
because of what pundits see as his past
attempts to become a vice presidential
candidate to President Muhammadu Buhari
under the APC, a move he dropped due to the
sensitivity of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a
complex country like Nigeria.
Tinubu’s recent reaction to a question that
sought to know his future political ambition
caused a stir in political circles, as it was
interpreted to mean that he had already begun
preparation to contest in 2019. “There is
nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends
on the timing and the environment and what
political leadership dictates. I will not brush
aside such an aspiration,” Tinubu was quoted
as having said during the an event in Ondo
State.
Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this
position, saying that he would not contest
against President Buhari. “As long as that
patriotic and committed President Buhari
holds and seeks to hold the mantle as
President, I stand behind him in unwavering
support,” he said via his Twitter handle
@AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as
conditional.
Tinubu’s possible presidential ambition may
enjoy widespread support in the South-West
geo-political zone, considering his political
sagacity and large followership. He also has a
sizeable financial war chest, as he invested
heavily in the actualization of the Buhari
presidency in 2015. But the odds against such
ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came
from his camp, and the South-West had
earlier spent two terms of eight years under
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP
administration between 1999 and 2007.
Atiku Abubakar
The one-time vice president has never kept
hidden his presidential ambition. Atiku had
contested the 2007 presidential election on
the platform the defunct Action Congress (AC)
after realizing that he could not get the PDP
ticket because of his frosty relationship with
former President Obasanjo. Also, the APC
chieftain had contested the presidential ticket
with former President Goodluck Jonathan in
2011 and with then-candidate Buhari in 2014
on different platforms.
The action, body language and utterances of
the Turakin Adamawa are enough to show
seriousness. He has already won the
admiration of some in the South-South and
South-East with a consistent advocacy for
true federalism, calls considered to be subtle
campaigns ahead of 2019, especially if
President Buhari decides not to run.
Atiku maintains a vibrant media office with
many staff who ensure he is a constant
participator in national discourse. The Turaki
is also noted to be a “big spender” when it
comes to pursuing his interests, giving the
PDP and ex-president Obasanjo a tough time
by dragging them to court several times when
they attempted to tame him in the past.
In the event the APC becomes a no-go
channel for him, insiders say he may likely
seek an alternative platform, either in the
purported mega-party, the PDP, or any other
one as the political equation suggests. More
sources said Atiku would surely get the
support of political bigwigs across the country
should he declare to run again. But the odds
against Atiku’s ambition include, notably, the
ceaseless opposition of Obasanjo to his
candidacy.
Bukola Saraki
Saraki is one of the politicians that are likely
to contest for the Presidency come 2019. In
2015, he was one of the presidential aspirants
of the APC but dropped the ambition two
months before the party’s primaries in 2014.
Saraki, a two-time governor of Kwara State is
in a better position to vie for the presidency in
view of his position as number three citizen of
the country. With senators at his beck and
call, he may go for the big seat. At present, he
has the firm control of lawmakers, and his
youthfulness and mien are added advantages,
and also for the fact that he is from the
North-Central tells a lot when it comes to
political balancing.
But Saraki’s squabbling with his party, the
APC, may negate his chances to clinch the
ticket if he runs. He defeated his party in 2015
as a result of his romance with the PDP to
emerge as the Senate President. That wound
is yet to heal despite the recent consideration
of Senator Ahmad Lawan as the Senate
Leader. Lawan was the preferred candidate of
the APC for the Senate presidency.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Kwankwaso is a serving senator representing
Kano Central at the Upper Chamber of the
National Assembly and was a presidential
aspirant in the last general election. A former
governor of Kano State, who served the state
from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 respectively,
he is said to have turned around Kano through
laudable physical infrastructural development,
especially during his second tenure.
Although Kwankwaso has been quiet for a
while, his political network is not only intact
but vibrant across the country. His political
trademark, the Kwankwasiyya, which he
established before the 2011 general elections
is even expanding to other states. In the event
he goes for the presidency, his large
followership in Kano, Kaduna and other states
in the North would give him added advantage
especially if he picks a running mate from the
South.
What will work against him is if decides to
remain in APC, and President Buhari decides
to go for a second term.
Sule Lamido
The dwindling fortunes of the PDP, occasioned
by counter court cases and mass defection do
not deter the former Jigawa governor from
nursing his ambition of vying for the
presidential position of this country under its
platform.
Lamido, who is passionate about the PDP,
believes that it will soon overcome its travails
and bounce back. While the party is suffering
in other climes, it is thriving in Jigawa to the
extent that some members of the ruling APC
are defecting to it.
The declaration for his presidential ambition
sometime last year did come to many as a
surprise. Lamido, who is among the founding
fathers of the PDP, said if offered a ticket
come 2019, he would be glad to offer himself.
What is not clear is whether he will overcome
the ambition of many alpha members of the
PDP for the same ticket.
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal
Tambuwal, immediate-past Speaker of the
House of Reps, was to contest for president
during the 2015 when some of his friends
reportedly obtained the APC presidential form
for him to participate in the primary. He later
shelved the idea and went ahead to contest
for the Sokoto State governorship seat, and
won.
As part of future plans to realize his
presidential ambition, the 51-year-old lawyer
succeeded in installing his successor in the
House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara. He also
succeeded in expanding his political base
among federal lawmakers from all parts of the
country. Described as astute and shrewd
politician by many, he leaves no-one in doubt
that he would certainly go for the top job in
the country in the future, which could be 2019.
In the event Buhari seeks a second term, he
may likely shelve the ambition until 2013,
considering the fact that age is on his side.
But a major hurdle to cross for Tambuwal
would be getting the support of the South-
West, who see him someone who ‘abandoned’
their own, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position
of Speaker, even though he later played a
crucial role in his emergence as Speaker in
2011, against all odds.
At some point, the national leader of the APC,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who did not only
support Tambuwal in 2011 but also ensured
that all opposition lawmakers voted for him as
Speaker, was said to be “very angry with
Tambuwal” for that perceived slight.
Ahmed Makarfi
Senator Ahmed Makarfi was governor of
Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007. Within the
eight years he was in office, he was able to
mitigate religious and ethnic violence in the
state and has through that feat projected
himself as an objective and fair-minded
leader. His outstanding performance in the
state shot him into national limelight, seeing
him clinch a seat at the Senate in 2007, even
though he lost the bid to return a third time in
2015. But by then, his profile in the PDP had
risen and party members appointed him
Chairman of the party at a convention which
held in Port-Harcourt last year.
Since then he has been battling for the
position with former governor of Borno State,
Ali Modu Sheriff. As the PDP has made it clear
that its presidential candidate in the 2019
elections would be from the North, there is the
possibility that given the trust key members of
the party -- especially serving governors --
have in him, and given his image as an
objective leader and acceptability across
geopolitical divides, he might be convinced to
run for the party’s presidential ticket in 2019.
He recently said in an interview in Lagos that
he may likely go for the No.1 office. However,
his handicap may likely be the platform,
because it is not yet clear if the PDP will ever
be the same again.
But it was gathered that Makarfi’s faction of
the party is seeking for the registration of a
new platform, the Advanced Peoples
Democratic Party (APDP). If they succeed, he
may easily get the ticket and slug it out with
anyone paraded by the APC or other parties.
Nasir El-Rufai
Currently the governor of Kaduna State, El-
Rufai has been in the news for long as one of
those likely to run for the presidency in 2019.
This is given his popularity and acceptability
across the country. But it is not likely he will
show any interest if President Muhammadu
Buhari is contesting, as he would not stand
any chance in the North and may also stand
the risk of losing his political investments,
given Buhari’s acceptability in the region.
The current twist in events, where Buhari has
been on vacation for a while, has however
raised the hope that he might contest as he is
said to be one of the top three northerners
being considered for the vice presidential slot
if Buhari decides on more rest. If that
happens, many say it is likely that el-Rufai
may latch in on the issue of zoning to contest
in 2019, given that the sympathy may be for a
northern candidate.
Ali Modu Sheriff
Sheriff is at present the recognized National
Chairman of the PDP. He was a two-time
governor of Borno State and three times a
senator representing Borno Central. When he
wanted to be governor in 2003, he chased a
sitting governor in Borno, the Late Mai Mala
Kachalla out of the APP and got the ticket.
Indeed, he did not only win the election but
broke the Borno jinx and won a second term.
He was however demystified in 2011 when he
wanted to go to the Senate for the fourth time
but was defeated by a PDP candidate, the
Late Ahmed Zannah Khalifa.
That notwithstanding, analysts say Sheriff lost
out because of his poor handling of the Boko
Haram crisis. A vicious fighter, and mass
mobilizer, Sheriff is seen as someone who
never runs away from a fight. Despite the fact
that PDP governors, ex-ministers, former
governors and other organs of the PDP had
made many attempts to oust him as chairman
of the PDP, Sheriff has defied them. Sources
said he may end up easing out as PDP
chairman and ultimately get its presidential
ticket which has been zoned to the North.
From all indications, Sheriff may get the PDP
ticket, as he has already liberalized many
impediments on his way as some chieftains of
the party are already contemplating dumping
it for another platform. His albatross may
likely be acceptability as a presidential
candidate by Nigerians despite the fact that
he has enough resources.
Ayo Fayose
Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose is largely
seen as fearless as a result of his
controversial comments and leadership style.
His February 21, 2017 declaration of
presidential ambition in 2019 was also seen
by commentators as a joke, but he seems to
be serious about it. Some insiders are already
calling him the ‘Donald Trump of Nigeria’.
The 56-year Fayose, who is the chairman of
the PDP Governors Forum, expressed his
interest in the presidency during a live
television interview that in the near future, he
will take over the mantle to lead the nation as
his future was tied to the presidency. “It is not
by power. It is destiny. I did not believe it
when I became Ekiti governor. After eight
years, I will be the vice president of Nigeria,
even the President very soon.”
The maverick governor may however have to
contend with arrays of other interests within
the PDP, some of who are seen as having
brighter chances. He also has to grapple with
the crisis rocking the PDP and the embattled
national chairman of the party, Sheriff, who
Fayose with other governors rejected despite
an Appeal Court ruling affirming Sheriff’s
chairmanship.
Rochas Okorocha
Governor Okorocha is not new at taking shots
at the nation’s Presidency. In 1999,
Okorocha, who competed in the primaries to
be PDP candidate for governor of Imo State,
lost to Achike Udenwa. He then moved to the
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but was
unsuccessful in his quest for the party’s ticket
for the presidency in 2003 and therefore
returned to the PDP.
Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) in
2005, planning to become its presidential
candidate for the 2007 elections. He again
however returned to the PDP, and in
September 2007 indicated that he was
interested in becoming PDP national
chairman. Okorocha decamped from the PDP
to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
and ran as its candidate for Imo State
governor in the April 2011 national elections
which he won but then decamped to the ruling
APC.
While the governor said he will not contest the
2019 Presidency, citing the successes of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration, Okorocha, who is fluent in all
the major languages of the country, is still
seen as interested in taking another shot at
the presidency in the event Buhari will not
contest.
Babatunde Fashola
Lagos State governor from 2007 to 2015,
Babatunde Fashola endeared himself to not
only Lagosians, but indeed Nigerians as a
whole, due to his impressive performance in
the state. As a candidate of the then Action
Congress party, Fashola succeeded Bola
Ahmed Tinubu, and was re-elected on 26 April
2011. On November 11th 2015, he was
appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to
be the Minister of Power, Works and Housing.
Not a few analysts and observers believe
Fashola may be warming himself up for a
higher political job after his current
assignment as a minister. Indeed, a former
minister Oby Ezekwesili was reported to have
urged Fashola (SAN) to run for Presidency in
2019, and an online medium had quoted
Ezekwesili as saying: “The day Tunde Fashola
picks up a form to run for presidency, I Oby
Ezekwesili shall sign up to volunteer for his
campaign team.”
In the build-up to the 2015 elections, many
were of the opinion that Fashola should serve
with President Muhammadu Buhari as the
shortest route to the Presidency. This school
of thought reasoned that by so doing Fashola
would be able to tender credentials superior to
any other candidate’s in 2019. Although he
has not indicated his interest, many say it
may not be an easy ride for him as 2019
promises to be another titanic battle, given
the number of gladiators in the fray.
Ken Nnamani
Ken Nnamani was President of the Senate of
Nigeria from 2005 to 2007. A former member
of the PDP, he was elected to the Senate from
Enugu State in 2003 and served until 2007.
He recently took many by surprise when he
denounced his membership of the PDP to join
the ruling APC. Currently the head of the
Electoral Reform Committee set up by
President Muhammadu Buhari, he registered
as a member of the APC at his country home
in Amechi-Uwani, in Enugu South Local
Government Area, a move that many political
analysts saw as a deft move ahead of the
2019 elections.
Coming from a zone (South-East) that has
not produced a president since the return to
democracy in 1999, many see the former
senate president as throwing his hat in the
2019 presidential ring. He would certainly not
be the only one from that zone who may be
interested in the presidency, but his current
role in the APC administration certainly makes
him a potentially potent player, also
considering his reputation for being one of the
few decent politicians in Nigeria. He just may
eventually throw his hat into the ring come
2019.
Tinubu’s recent reaction to a question that
sought to know his future political ambition
caused a stir in political circles, as it was
interpreted to mean that he had already begun
preparation to contest in 2019. “There is
nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends
on the timing and the environment and what
political leadership dictates. I will not brush
aside such an aspiration,” Tinubu was quoted
as having said during the an event in Ondo
State.
Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this
position, saying that he would not contest
against President Buhari. “As long as that
patriotic and committed President Buhari
holds and seeks to hold the mantle as
President, I stand behind him in unwavering
support,” he said via his Twitter handle
@AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as
conditional.
Tinubu’s possible presidential ambition may
enjoy widespread support in the South-West
geo-political zone, considering his political
sagacity and large followership. He also has a
sizeable financial war chest, as he invested
heavily in the actualization of the Buhari
presidency in 2015. But the odds against such
ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came
from his camp, and the South-West had
earlier spent two terms of eight years under
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP
administration between 1999 and 2007.