Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere will have a big job on its hands when it comes to deciding who to support in Buhari and Atiku.
Things seem to be squaring up towards an intriguing election with both Buhari and Atiku having a great deal of influence in the Nigerian political scene.
Atiku won PDP’s Presidential ticket and is largely seen as probably the biggest obstacle between Buhari and a second term.
According to the Punch, Afenifere believes that Atiku has paid his dues and that in deciding which candidate to back, the group would need to sit down and properly deliberate.
“Honestly, when we compare Atiku with others, you will see him as somebody who has paid his dues. Among politicians and our former rulers, Atiku has made his marks.” said the Secretary General of the Afenifere, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa who spoke to the Punch.
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“Before the PDP primaries, Atiku came to us in Afenifere and promised us that he was going to restructure the country, and we have already said that anybody who wants to restructure with all seriousness, such a person will be our candidate.
“Now that he is in, Afenifere will still decide. He has beaten all the other aspirants and now he is the candidate.
“Afenifere observed the landslide victory he has over others: he scored well over half of the delegates’ votes, leaving the remnants to the other aspirants.
“We hope that if the opposition wants to win through the South-West, South-South, South-East, the Middle Belt and those political groups that are progressives in idea, they will all come together under the CUPP to adopt somebody to face APC.
“I think this is the time, if they mean business,” he said.