Says he should support Balat for Kaduna guber or lose position
Plans to appoint Yero as CBN governor
Strong indication emerged in Kaduna that President Goodluck Jonathan may have given condition to his Vice President, Namadi Sambo, to back Senator Isaiah Balat as Kaduna State governorship candidate under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, in 2015.
Sources in Kaduna and Abuja confirmed that the presidency had concluded plans to appoint the incumbent governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, to succeed Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido as Central Bank of Nigeria governor in June this year .
Balat, who is presently the Special Adviser on Special Duties to Vice President Namadi Sambo was recently rumoured to be a ministerial nominee from Kaduna State but later put aside for PDP governorship candidate in 2015.
Balat hails from Southern Kaduna with late Kaduna State governor, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, who died in a naval helicopter in the forest of Okoroba, Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State with former National Security Adviser, NSA, General Andrew Owoye Azazi.
It was further learnt that the support was one of the he conditions given to Sambo by President Jonathan, if he wanted to continue with him as running mate. The president was said to have said that in case Sambo refused to yield, he would have no option than pick Katsina State governor, Shehu Shema, as his running mate.
Based on this, according to Saturday Mirror’s findings, Sambo, during PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna recently met privately with Southern Kaduna elders and party chieftains. Some of those he met are PDP chairman, Zone 3, Hon.Joseph Gumbari; Hon. Joseph Sajury, former chairman, Zone 3,Isaiah Balat; former Military Administrator of Rivers State, Gen. Zamani Lekwot (rtd) and others to consult them over the arrangement.
But, governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero’s kinsmen, Zazzau emirate rejected the presidency’s offer warning that any attempt to oust their son to Abuja for CBN job would be resisted.
However, Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero had last year declared that he had no interest in Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governorship job after the expiration of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi tenure.
Yero, while describing the speculation as handiwork of mischief makers said he was devoted to deliver democracy dividends to the people of Kaduna State as to justify the people’s mandate.
In a statement signed by governor Yero’s Director General on Media and Publicity, Ahmed Maiyaki urged people to ignore what he described as wicked rumour as he appealed for massive support to move the state forward.
Yero said he remained resolute in his principle of putting the interest of the people above personal and cannot be distracted by these recent antics of political jobbers who were bent on creating confusion in the society.
Source: National Mirror
