Atiku’s presidential ambition: count me out

This piece was written before the arrest of the former Gov. of Delta state, James Ibori, and the resignation of the National chairman of the PDP but could not be immediately published due to some reasons and events.

 

The political landscape of the country which had changed considerably with the disappearance from its space of Musa Yar’Adua, then substantive president, through illness, and the subsequent elevation of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the president, albeit in an acting capacity, by both houses of the National Assembly got further reconfigured during the week with the death of the president and his, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, subsequent swearing-in, as the president. 

Some of the changes which has taken place includes the revival of the anti-corruption war with the hounding of some of the untouchables in the Yar'Adua led administration like James Ibori, the immediate past governor of Delta state and an important determinant who had nominated a former commissioner in his administration as the president’s principal secretary, a position that allowed him to have information that even the Vice president lack. He has had the day light harassed out of him by the EFCC; so much so that he had had to go into hiding, taking with him, his political calculations and ambition. In Bayelsa, the governor has not been sleeping easy with the same EFCC going in and out of its sanctuaries in search of any act of financial disorderliness. And for the governors of Kwara, Delta and Bauchi there is not much they would not give to return to the old order.

At the national level, erstwhile powerful and very powerful ministers and aids have all being sent packing and the chairman of the ruling PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor, is ruing the day he was brain-washed into believing that Yar’Adua was still coming back to power and consequently joined the cabal in preventing the now president from assuming office, much earlier. Unless the influential cartel—PDP governors— are able to purchase his job for him, his days in the corridors of power are numbered. Even the rabble-rousing governor of the CBN has since piped down on his scatter-brain reform.

 In terms of political realignment, the total politician, Atiku Abubakar, the subject of this piece, after hobnobbing with different groups and persons on the idea of a mega party to rival the ruling PDP, his former party, has since renewed his interest in   elective politics with a return to it; a move I had once wrote against as at when it was first rumoured but which the existing conditions seem to be favourably disposed to. But this has caused more disquiet and a rash of reactions, particularly in his home state of Adamawa, than was thought necessary and anticipated.

The state branch of the party, against the directive of the national head quarters, has refused to recognise his return claiming lack of due process and non-availability of membership cards. As I see it, he does not need a new membership card but a renewal of his membership through payment of all outstanding levies and dues. But should he need it, it behoves the party to make same available without hassles. The card comes from the national headquarters and they should be in a position to know how many was allocated to the state   branch and the utility level. If it is ascertained that there is zero stock in the state then cards should be immediately sent for the purpose. But whichever way, the state executive of the party should be dissolved, like it happened in Anambra state, “for gross incompetence”: which should include lack of foresight, dynamism, non maintenance of a minimum stock level or buffer zone for such important matter as tool for recruitment of new members and non celebration of the return of a big fish like the former Vice president. Beyond the state, his return has been greeted with negative reporting and criticism by mainly those who are threatened the development.

All the warts and carbuncles notwithstanding, the Turakin Adamawa remains one of the few politicians, alive in today’s Nigeria, for whom I have the highest regard; for his conduct in and out of office. The man contrary to insinuations and negative press remains the very soul of loyalty to friends and associates, though I am neither. When it was most dangerous to show open loyalty to an associate, it is on record that he braved all odds and visited his boss, late Shehu Yar'Adua in prison where he was languishing on the orders of the then Head of State, Abacha. He did not desert him only to wax philosophical about prayer being faster than aircraft, like Chief Anenih did. No. He stayed with him to the end. That is what loyalty is and not remaining with disagreeable and scheming fellows who only wants to use him to feather their nest.

 Apart from his demonstrated loyalty; Atiku earned my respect and trust with his conduct as the most active and engaged vice president in Nigeria’s history when Obasanjo placed him in charge of the economy, something that no other president or head of state had found their deputy worthy of, even though it later turned out to be a well designed plot to silence him, politically. It is to his credit that he did not wantonly abuse this position through self-enrichment as many Nigerian politicians are wont to do.  If that had been the case, Obasanjo a connoisseur in the art of paying old debt would have dredge up the facts to nail him, in the heady days of the third term gambit.  To his chagrin, a commissioned probe of the books of all government businesses that he was allowed charge of showed that nothing of the sort that Obasanjo had expected was committed. Even PTDF—forget the report, just look at the submissions made by the personality involved —spending showed that it was those who had wished to use to nail him that benefitted from it.    This is more than I can say for majority of Nigerian politicians including the activist amongst them. Atiku remains the most investigated government official on the face of the earth, as at today.  

In executing some of the task laid out in front of him by his then boss, Obasanjo, he displayed an uncommon knack for lining up the best muscles and brains that could be found in the country, through his associates. Those that he brought to government are those whose achievements are still being debated today. Examples of such persons include the former FCT minister, Mallam El Ruffai and the former EFCC boss, Ribadu.

He believed so much in intellectuals and intellectualism—remember he owns the prestigious, American University of Nigeria— that to solve the problem of constant electricity supply failure in the country; he commissioned experts, with his private resources, to produce a detailed report and solution to the problem for onward transmission to the government for implementation. Though then minister in charge of the sector, Bola Ige, a man with messianic tendencies like Obasanjo dismissed the report and guaranteed to turn around the fortunes of the enterprise in six months—talk about shooting in the dark. He left the ministry with some issues of financial lodgement in unauthorised accounts, still hanging.   

Atiku is equally a man of easy charm and graceful carriage. And this might account for his success in private business. Intels, an integrated logistic services firm in the oil and gas sector is known to have been started by him from a container in the Apapa port, in Lagos. Today, the company operates from over thirteen countries in Africa.

In terms of age and health, he is of the age required and is not known to suffer any of the debilitating diseases or illness of Yar'Adua. Count me out of those opposed to his ambition.

Postscript: Goodluck for president campaign, return of third term gambit. The current president is not known to have struggled for any position he has occupied in life. It has always been Mother Nature sending him on a mission and thereafter, taking to a higher calling. I don’t think he is about to question the infinite wisdom of God.

All the speculations and Obasanjo’s, no zoning arrangement statement are all part of his plan to rubbish the person of Goodluck. He said recently that he knew the implications of allowing a southerner succeed him. Yet he wants the president to succeed himself against a gentleman’s arrangement of his party. No. He won’t. And Obasanjo does not even expect him to try and succeed himself. What he wants to do to my mind is to repeat the third term gambit: use the name of Goodluck to scare away potential aspirants from the North and thereafter, impose a candidate of his choice, from the north, on the people. To warm up to the president, he hopes to use the bait he imagines would do the trick: the no zoning arrangement yarn. This is own method of gauging the president interest in 2011. If the president quickly warms up to him and starts listening to him, then he will do his yahoo business on him: get him to pick his preferred candidate for the 2011 presidential election, as the vice president, by pretending to support him for an extension of his stay then turn around at the appropriate time to mouth zoning! More like trying to pose as friend while bidding his time to fill his Trojan horses to capacity.

Currently, he is in the market shopping for that person. Luckily, the president is not his boy and tool and his even ahead of him in the game and as such cannot allow him to muddy his name which the almighty God has effortlessly made famous, for good conduct.  

Goodluck is destined to achieve everything in this life effortlessly; and cheaply, too and this might even include heaven if he does not turn at a point to start questioning the wisdom of the Almighty God. His next assignment would not be in Nigeria. With Lt. Gen. Danjuma by the president side, he will not make fatal mistake like Obj that had no body by his side during his turbulent leadership of the country in the recent past.

Congratulations, able bros.