A former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima, has revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida worked for the emergence of the then General Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of the All Nigeria’s People’s Party (ANPP) in the build-up to the 2007 presidential election.

Yerima made the revelation on Friday, December 29, 2023, while featuring in an exclusive interview with a former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, on the second edition of his TV programme, ‘Inside Sources’ on Channels TV.

Yerima said: “The Arewa Consultative Forum had a meeting in Kaduna and they announced President Muhammadu Buhari as the sole candidate of the North and set up a committee to go around the contestants in various political parties and talk to us to please step down for Buhari so the North can have a single candidate.

“They came to me, and I listened to them, and I said I would think over it. But President Obasanjo, you know, made sure he brought General (Ibrahim) Babangida, who is still alive and begged him to me. He was in PDP, and I was in ANPP.”

When asked if it was true that Obasanjo didn’t want him to run against Umaru Yar’Adua, his preferred candidate in the PDP, Yerima affirmed the notion as true, saying, “Yes, he didn’t want me to run against Yar’Adua.”

Yerima said from the information he got, it was clear Obasanjo was afraid of his candidature because of his soaring popularity among his people.

“At that time, the security report showed him, according to my information, that because I had all the delegates in my hand, except Kano and Katsina, I left for Buhari at that time.

”I had all the state chairmen of ANPP of all the 36 states and Abuja supporting me. The government knew that if I got the ticket, it was going to be a very difficult task for PDP to win for Yar’Adua to become president.”

“Then, Obasanjo sent an aircraft to bring IBB and requested him to please talk to me so I can step down for Yar’Adua. But I didn’t know until after I stepped down and Babangida sent the late Engr Abdulkadir Kure, the former governor of Niger State, and even the former government or of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, they were sent to come to me and to beg me to step down,” Yerima said.

When further asked if Buhari was aware of all the background political scheming, Yerima said, “Yes.”

He went further, “IBB first called me and said, ‘Senator Yerima, I said, yes, sir, IBB, I have your number,’ then he said, ‘You know I’ve never asked you for any favour in my life? I said, yes, sir.

”He said I am going to ask you for one favour, I said I’ve done it for you, sir.’ I didn’t know what favour he wanted to ask from me. He said, ‘Okay, I won’t tell you on the phone, but I’m going to send Bafarawa and Engr (Abdulkadir) Kure to you to inform you.’”

Narrating how their visit went, Yerima said, “They came to me in the night after 8 o’clock, and after greetings, I asked my people to go out, and they said IBB sent them to me; I said yes, he said you were coming.

”They said, ‘The only favour he wants you to do for him is to step down for Buhari tomorrow; the convention is tomorrow.’ I said, oh my God! Please, tell him I’ve accepted, I’ve committed myself that I was going to do the favour for him.”

“Then, they said, ‘No, he said whatever your answer is, we should call him, and you will tell him by yourself.’ And they called IBB, and I told him, ‘Sir, tomorrow, I will step down for Buhari.’ Immediately they left, I went to the national chairman, Chief Chief Ume-Ezeoke, and I told him that tomorrow I was going to step down for Buhari.

“He said, oh my God, and he started dancing. I didn’t know he was promised the vice presidential candidate. And that night, he told Buhari, and Buhari was telling me that he didn’t believe me until I climbed the podium and announced it because they changed the programme at the convention venue, the Eagle Square.”

On how he broke the news to his supporters, Yerima said it was as he planned it at the convention venue, as he said the party had already concluded plans, even with a changed programme timetable to suit their interest.

“The timetable was opening prayer; then there would be the national chairman’s opening remark, and then all the candidates would start talking.

“But they changed the programme, and after the opening prayer, they said Yerima was going to speak. So, they called me first and asked me to talk.

“And I announced my stepping down, and I appealed to all other candidates to also step down, and they did, and Buhari became the only candidate,” Yerima concluded.