Ribadu Steps Down For Buhari?

Key sources are telling SaharaReporters tonight that a deal between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Political Change (CPC) that would see Mr. Nuhu Ribadu stepping down for General Muhammadu Buhari may only be hours away.

Both relatively new parties emerged with stunning victories in last Saturday’s legislative elections to peg back the dominance of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but officials feel that only a united front would see them decisively snatching the presidency away from that party, which has ruled Nigeria since 1999.  They have therefore renewed negotiations in the past 24 hours.

As of the time of filing this report, ACN candidate Ribadu is said to have reconciled to giving up his quest for the presidency in the conviction that it is a small price to pay to ensure that Nigeria can move forward by thwarting the PDP.  Ribadu is said to be considering that in the current circumstances, he must avoid being seen as the stumbling block on the road to the historic defeat of the PDP. 

If the deal goes through and the alliance leads to victory in the presidential contest, the ACN will be poised to produce the leadership of the National Assembly when it reconvenes in June 2011. 
Last Saturday, Goodluck Jonathan flew into Lagos to meet with ACN chieftain, Bola Tinubu, with a plan to scuttle any possible alliane between the ACN and CPC. Sources told Saharareporters that a host of northern leaders are meeting with ACN representatives at the Lagos House in Abuja


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