' Sources at the presidency have indicated that Obasanjo may have passed over El-Rufai Babagana Kingibe Adamu Mu'azu (Bauchi State Governor) Peter Odili (Rivers) Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna) and other mooted favourites in favour of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua the Governor of Katsina state and brother of the late Shehu Musa Yar'Adua who served as Obasanjo's deputy in the 1976-79 military regime...
Lining up Then there is a raft of mainstream candidates who have already picked up their presidential nomination forms from the PDP's secretariat in Abuja: former Minister of Information and Obasanjo advisor Jerry Gana (Niger State); Governor Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna); Governor Peter Odili (Rivers); former Military Administrator for Lagos State Gen...
Also invited are several governors with presidential ambitions who are seen as close to Obasanjo: Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi (Kaduna); Adamu Mu'azu (Bauchi); Umaru Musa Yar'adua (Katsina)...
Among the state governors his favoured candidates include: Peter Odili (Rivers State); Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu (Bauchi); Donald Duke (Cross River); and Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna)...
Kaduna state Governor Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi is a possible contender or could run for the vice-presidency if Obasanjo keeps the top spot...
Kaduna: Ahmed Makarfi (PDP) coordinating third-term lobbying in north...
Behind him come less prominent northern candidates including Obasanjo loyalists such as Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi (who helped out in the constitutuonal conference) the more sycophantic Abdullahi Adamu of Nassarawa and Abdulkadir Kure of Niger State (who might be seen as too close to Babangida)...
Nigeria: 2003 Governorship race Abia Orji Uzor Kalu PDP Yes Strong Adamawa Bonnie Haruna PDP Weak Akwa Ibom Victor Attah PDP Yes Even Anambra Chinwoke Mbadinuju PDP Yes Weak Bauchi Adamu Muazu PDP Yes Even Bayelsa Diepreye Alamieyeseigha PDP Yes Weak Benue George Akume PDP Weak Borno Mala Kachalla ANPP Weak Cross River Donald Duke PDP Strong Delta James Ibori PDP Strong Ebonyi Sam Egwu PDP Even Edo Lucky Igbinedion PDP Yes Strong Ekiti Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo AD Strong Enugu Chimaroke Nnamani PDP Yes Even Gombe Abubakar Hashidu ANPP Even Imo Achike Udenwa PDP Even Jigawa Ibrahim Saminu Turaki ANPP Weak Kaduna Ahmed Makarfi PDP Yes Even Kano Rabiu Kwankwaso PDP Yes Weak Katsina Umaru Musa Yar'Adua PDP Even Kebbi Adamu Aliero ANPP Strong Kogi Abubakar Audu ANPP Even Kwara Mohammed Lawal ANPP Weak Lagos Bola Tinubu AD Yes Even Nassarawa Abdullahi Adamu PDP Yes Weak Niger Abdukadir Kure PDP Yes Weak Ogun Olusegun Osoba AD Strong Ondo Adebayo Adefarati AD Strong Osun Adebisi Akande AD Strong Oyo Lam Adesina AD Strong Plateau Joshua Dariye PDP Weak Rivers Peter Odili PDP Strong Sokoto Attahiru Bafarawa ANPP Strong Taraba Jolly Ngame PDP Strong Yobe Bukar Abba Ibrahim ANPP Strong Zamfara Ahmed Sani Yerima ANPP Yes Even * Petition submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ANPP ambitions Buhari and the ANPP also hope to make big gains in the south-east where the Igbo (the third biggest ethnic group) believe they have been sidelined by Obasanjo's government...
In Kaduna PDP Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has rehabilitated state buildings and services...
Governors present included the long standing Obasanjo adversary Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia State) and several others who had not been publicly antagonistic to the government such as: James Ibori (Delta); Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa); Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna); George Akume (Benue); Bonnie Haruna (Adamawa); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Peter Odili (Rivers); Abdullahi Adamu (Nassarawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano)...
Ahmed Makarfi Governor of Kaduna State and ally of President Olusegun Obasanjo had Secretary General of the Sharia Council Nafiu Baba Ahmed briefly arrested after police linked him to the crisis...