Anxiety heightens in the camp of the Vice President Namadi Sambo on Monday,

 

Anxiety heightens in the camp of the Vice President Namadi Sambo on Monday, ahead of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of interest in the 2015 presidential race.
Investigation by Punch showed there was heightened anxiety in the VP Sambo’s camp over whether the President would retain him as his running mate for the 2015 election or not.
Media reports have it that there was pressure on Jonathan to drop Sambo as his running mate.

Those who were putting the pressure had hinged their position on the fact that although the Vice President is loyal to the President, he lacks the required electoral value to deliver his North-West zone to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Multiple sources in the Presidency said the fear of the unknown in Sambo’s camp is very real... “The fear is real. The pressure on the President is very intense. One of the governors mentioned is not hiding his ambition. What we are not sure of is whether the President will succumb to the pressure. We are eagerly waiting for how it will play out at the declaration ground on Tuesday,” a source said.
He said some party chiefs were expecting the President to use his declaration to make his position on the matter known in order to douse the tension.
Another source however said it would be a tactical error on Jonathan’s part to make his position known on the matter at his declaration.
He said the President would prefer to keep mum on the issue until during the national convention of the party, where his sole candidature would be ratified.

Political figures, such as Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State and Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, had so far been mentioned as people interested in Sambo’s job.