Atiku In The Eye Of The Storm

By

Umar Tanimu Umar

tanimuu@yahoo.com

On passing through the heart of Bauchi town you can never fail to notice the conspicuous Atiku campaign office. The building, formally an office for the 2003 Obasanjo/Atiku campaign organization, now houses Turaki Vanguard, Atiku’s most prominent campaign body for the 2007 presidential elections. What most attracted my attention is the bold phrase of ironic proportions painted on the building: Atiku heir apparent. Deciphering what it means in child’s play.

But then, how can the Turaki, or his cohorts, lay claim to inheriting the throne? An heir apparent is akin to a crown prince who will certainly ascend the throne when his father (or kinsman) leaves the throne. For anyone to label Atiku as the heir to Obasanjo’s throne is indeed absurd. There have been lots of speculations over the years on the possibility of Obasanjo supporting his "brief case" for 2007. But those speculations died down with the allegations that Obasanjo will be supporting a different person, or will most probably be swindling for a third term. There Atiku’s claim to the throne was dealt a hard political blow.

Over the years these have been myriad of pointers to the allegation that the President and his "briefcase" have fallen apart. These allegations gained solid ground in the last couple of weeks when, firstly, Atiku accused African leaders of masterminding rigging to win elections, and secondly Obasanjo laid bare what he termed the vice president’s questionable loyalty. Obasanjo’s rain of brimstone on Atiku in front of live national television audience was a clear prove that things have fallen apart between the two.

Some might wonder how Obasanjo has not removed his Number Two, as he did anyone that crosses his path. Looking back to how Obasanjo appointed Atiku as his running mate for the 1999 elections, when the Turaki have already won the Adamawa State gubernatorial elections, and the role played by Atiku in both the 1999 and 2003 elections, one can be apt to say that Obasanjo, despite Atiku’s disloyalty, owes a lot to the Vice President, and so cannot venture to remove him. Atiku was a protégé of the Late Musa Yar’adua; in the Yar’adua camp he was known as the Master Rigger. That attribute, and his strong influence in PDM, was what made the Obasanjo camp to dump all other contenders, like Jubril Aminu and Bamanga Tukur, in preference to Atiku.

Atiku, as the nation’s Vice President, had amassed lots of power, unlike most vice president’s. He headed the Federal Government privatization exercise; allegedly bought for himself and his family many companies and enterprises, and have even built a private university in Yola. It is only in Nigeria that a sitting vice president can build his own university! Recently Atiku lost these powers and have many of his yes-men thrown out of the cabinet. There were suggestions from some quarters for Atiku to resign. Those prompting such suggestions have forgotten that Nigerians don’t resign from plum position, even if they have failed or have been caught red handed embezzling public funds. If Nigerians in power have the heart to resign, Obasanjo would have been the first to hand over his resignation from this government that has traumatized Nigeria.

Atiku’s fall out with the President apart, the contention is that can he be entrusted with the leadership in this country? The answer is certainly nay. In whatever angle you tend to look at it, Nigeria will fall into deeper catastrophe should the likes of Turakin Adamawa take the complete reigns of ruling this country. Even if Obasanjo, and PDP, allows him to contest, and if what he accused Obasanjo and other African leaders of perpetrating to win elections will not be done, Atiku cannot even win his home state of Adamawa!

Now Atiku’s "disloyalty" has pitched him against the ruling party whose entire leadership was handpicked by Obasanjo, in direct violation of the party’s constitution. Chief Ojo Maduekwe, PDP’s new handpicked scribe has publicly denounced the Vice President’s "disloyalty". According to Maduekwe, who was speaking for the party led by Ahmadu "Ali Must Go" Ali, Atiku should restrict himself to being Number Two, answerable, and not disloyal, to the Number One-the President.

From now to early 2007 we will await to see if PDP will give Atiku the "Ngige Treatment", or if the Turaki could defy all odds to contest for the presidency-probably under the banner of a different party. Whatever the case might turn out to be, the leadership of Turaki Vanguard should order its branch in Bauchi to wipe out the phrase "heir apparent" from the walls of their campaign office. All indications have proved beyond reasonable doubt that King Obasanjo has never approved, and will never approve, officially or otherwise, Viceroy Atiku as his heir.

UMAR TANIMU UMAR

P.O.BOX 1469,

Bolari Quarters, Gombe,

Gombe State.