Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is reportedly set to run for the Sokoto South senatorial seat days after stepping down his presidential ambition for a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention last weekend in Abuja.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku, who eventually cliched the PDP presidential ticket for the 2023 election after defeating his closest contender, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
According to Daily Trust, Tambuwal’s immediate past Commissioner for Land and Housing, Aminu Bala Bodinga, is PDP’s candidate for the senatorial seat.
However, Bodinga was said to be holding the ticket pending the outcome of the presidential primary. Therefore, he may be asked to withdraw from the race to pave way for Tambuwal to get the ticket in a fresh senatorial primary.
Bodinga has been among the closest allies of Tambuwal since 2015 when he (Bodinga) was at the state assembly as member representing Bodinga South Constituency and their relationship grew stronger in 2018 when he joined the governor in PDP.
He contested the Sokoto South senatorial ticket of PDP and won unopposed.
The senatorial seat is currently occupied by Senator Ibrahim Danbaba who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he left PDP due to protracted internal crisis.
Daily Trust reported that a source privy to the development said that Danbaba dumped PDP after it became clear that it was the governor who asked Bodinga to aspire for the ticket.
Recall that in 2018, when Tambuwal lost the PDP presidential primary in Port Harcourt, he took over the governorship ticket from his Deputy, Manir Dan’iya, contested election and won.