Obasanjo - Atiku Saga: Presidential Succession in 2007

By

Chibuzor Okechi Anyanwu

ica2101@columbia.edu

 

The news media has chronicled the evolution of the relations between President Obasamjo, and Vice President Atiku, and if what we hear about the state of relations between the two most important political figures in Nigeria is accurate, it is a very sad commentary on leadership in Africa's most populous nation. It is sad, not because, the two men disagree on a number of issues. It is not sad because, the cowardly PDP Party loyalists expected the Vice President not to dare disagree publicly, or raise objections over some actions by the President. Rather, it is sad, because, it reveals the crooked and dubious dealings that characterize Nigerian politics. Hardly is any election into public office free and fair, as would be the case in most countries in the world.

At the crux of the souring of relations between these two men are tow issues -political ambition, and political deals through which these two men have sought to fulfill their ambitions.

It was rumored a few years ago (a Northern power broker even tendered a copy of an agreement, which Obasanjo reportedly entered into with the North, in return for their support to Obasanjo, for PDP nomination for the presidency). It is rumoured that Obasanjo would not have won his Party's nomination, let alone, win the presidency without the support of the North.

A few years ago, I warned the President that, the dubious dealing he made with the North, that unfairly robbed Alex Ekwueme (the presumptive PDP nominee for the Presidency), the Party's nomination, cheapened Obsanjo's stature as a leaders and citizenship as a bonafide Nigerian. Political deals are like sexual experience -they give orgasmic feelings, and during the moment, people do not comprehend the full implications of commitments they agree to. Both Obasanjo and Atiku (and indeed, the North that was party to that infamous agreement).

Rumor has it that Obasanjo is privately nursing the ambition of a third tenure. The fact that he has not unequivocally quailed the rumour, gives one grounds to assume that, perhaps, he wants to run for a third term. With that premise, it is also probable for one to assume that, comments from the presidency (Obasanjo, his aides and supporters), about alleged disloyalty by the Vice President may be an act of calling a dog a bad name inorder to hang it. Part of the deal to switch the support of the North from Ekwueme to Obasanjo was based on the understanding that, Obasanjo would support Atiku to succeed him, in 2007. Now, if Obasanjo wants to run for a third term, a likely course of action is to renege on that agreement, and a sure way to do it is to find faultS with the presumptive PDP Northern presidential nominee -Atiku.

My thoughts are these: first, the shameful deal the North made with Obasanjo has become sour, and both parties to that infamous agreement should hang their heads in shame -shameful because, the hands of an executive president should not have been tied as in the set of preconditions from the North, which, Ekwueme allegedly refused to sign, but, which was signed by Obasanjo. The saga between Obasanjo and Atiku reveals the extent to which, Obasanjo is lacking in integrity, by failing to honour the commitment he made to support Atiku as a Northerner to succeed him to the presidency. It also reveals the extent to which the politics of the North has become suspect -that voting bloc promised Ekwueme their support for the PDP nomination, upto a few hours before voting by the delegates. Obasanjo is betraying their trust now! As the saying goes: "What goes around comes around." Why should they cry foul now that Obasanjo has betrayed their trust and the agreement he made with them, afteral, they did a similar thing to Ekwueme. Furthermore, it betarys the integrity of Northern political leaders, who are capable, on personal merit to seek and win their parties' nominations and the presidency, fair and square, and who may be more qualified and would make better Nigerian presidents than Atiku. In order to avoid soiling the good name and integrity of all Northerners, the type of deal that was made bewteen Obasanjo and the North should be criminalized, and other sections of the country should not emulate this practice.

As for Obasanjo and a third term: the constitution does not permit it, and any attempt to circumvent the constitution on such a matter usually is an invitation for military coup. I advise Obasanjo to thik again.

Chibuzor Okechi Anyanwu

USA