Jonathan, Buhari woo Tinubu.

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan and his main challenger Gen Muhammadu Buhari have intensified their efforts to ensure victory at the April 16 presidential election by courting Action Congress of Nigeria strongman Bola Tinubu. ACN’s strong showing in the parliamentary polls means the party will play a crucial role in deciding who wins the presidential election.

Sources told Daily Trust yesterday that President Jonathan met with Tinubu in Lagos where he offered the ACN strongman a quarter of his cabinet posts in return for South West’s votes.

It was not clear if Tinubu had accepted the offer which would translate into millions of votes for Jonathan in the South West and guarantee him the presidency.

Gen Buhari also yesterday met with members of the Northern Political Leaders Forum who urged him to go ahead and conclude the power sharing agreement he had earlier started with Tinubu.

Buhari who flew into Abuja at noon attended the meeting which had former military President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former National Security Adviser Gen Aliyu Gusau, former Inspector-General of Police M.D. Yusufu and former minister of finance Malam Adamu Ciroma in attendance.

Sources close to the meeting said Buhari had asked the group to negotiate with Tinubu on his behalf and pledged to accept the outcome.

Daily Trust further learnt that Tinubu had agreed to ask ACN’s presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu and his running mate Fola Adeola to step down with a caveat that Buhari’s running mate Pastor Tunde Bakare will agree to step down even if after the polls.

Buhari’s CPC and ACN had entered into merger talks which later collapsed due to some irreconcilable differences like under which platform will the joint candidate run, among others

When contacted the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Prof Rufai Ahmed Alkali said he would not comment on the issue.

But the ACN National Secretary Lawal Shuaibu said, “Tell anybody who cares to listen that there was never any meeting between Tinubu and Jonathan. But we learnt that a Lagos based entertainment guru went to beg Tinubu to help Jonathan and that is what is being peddled as you are putting it. Wait for Saturday and see.”