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Who is Persecuting Atiku? By Samuel Agboola
A falsehood repeated severally soon takes the garb of a truth especially in this part of the world, where the level of illiteracy is very high. This article is a rejoinder to an article published under the Politics heading of the Vanguard Newspaper of February 2, 2006 by one Malam Al-Bashir, an unofficial Special Assistant/Campaign Manager to Vice-Present Atiku Abubakar.
Readers should please refer to the article referenced above to appreciate how dangerous and desperate the likes of Al-Bashir and their over-ambitious and desperate paymasters could be. I am equally using this medium to implore the management of the Vanguard Newspaper to immediately call Al-Bashir to order, he should stop insulting our intelligence; your ardent readers deserve better things than the same old cocks and bulls stories, a la ‘Mary is Jesus’s mother’; ‘Babangida’s wife is a woman’ by Al-Bashir for almost 4 years now. It would be better for Al-Bashir to resign his appointment with the Vanguard and takes up a full time appointment with the VP who obviously needs his services as the tasks ahead would sooner than later be overwhelming for the garrulous Garba Shehu as we approach the decisive year 2007.
The truth known to all, except perhaps the VP and his gang in PDM who may still be suffering from their perpetual self-delusion, grandiose and other reasons best known to them, is that Atiku and his so called ‘powerful’ PDM played no role in OBJ’s second coming to power in 1999, rather it was a dying PDM, disorganized and disoriented following the incarceration and subsequent death of its founder –the Late Sheu Musa Yar’dua- that needed OBJ desperately; these people are hypocrites and parasites, behaving true to type, after reading the political barometer well and seeing where the pendulum was moving to, quickly latched up to the old man, of course exploiting the old man’s fondness for Yar’dua, who was very faithful, honest and served OBJ even to the points of death. Hence if anybody was to be given any credit at all, then it must be General Abdulsalam, though the propriety of this is contestable, but this is another matter for the future.
Nigerians should recollect that there were several contending forces in the then evolving PDP, each struggling for a space and trying to position itself and outsmart the others, however, one indisputable fact known to all, even to a day old foetus then – this is yet to be disputed up till today - was that head or toe, the next president of Nigeria must come from the South-West in 1999; some jesters like Audu Ogbeh, Ango Abdullahi, Sunday Awoniyi, Lawal kaita etc, are free to call the series of Volcanic and Titanic serial complexities and incomprehensible possibilities facing the country then as anything today - it was these likelihood explosions as revealed by the country’s political barometer that compelled the movement of the Presidency to the South in 1999.
For those who might not know, it was the remnants of the old NPC/NPN block represented by the irrepressible Adamu Ciroma that first approached OBJ offering him its platform before the other splinter groups followed. The point once again is that the people then constituting the inner power levers in the country - Generals Abdulsalam, IBB, Aliyu Gusau; the present NSA, Abdullahi Mohammed; the current Chief of Staff to the president, Danjuma- hope somebody is taking a judicious note of the regional/ethnics representations of these people? And of course the colonial masters-White house and Downing Street - had long zeroed in on OBJ as the appropriate man for the country then for several reasons, both altruistic and otherwise; the party platform was irrelevant as far as the permutations and calculations then were concerned, any political party could just have been given the necessary face-lifts and the necessary wherewithal by the authority; trust our politicians, they are ready to move at the snap of fingers, nobody wants to be in opposition..
Al-Bashir can continue with his hatchet job but we know the truth and on the truth we stand. Where was that daring, ‘powerful’ and invisible PDM during Gen Abacha’s transition period? The original PDM – not the present ideologically corrupt and confused - that could not even delivered the presidency to its founder during his futile attempts at the presidency twice during IBB and Abacha’s transition periods is the same been giving unnecessary attentions and incredulous hype now by some idle, attention seekers, jobless old men and a section of the media.
People like Al-Bashir can only worsen the VP’s case, they can continue with their tirade, God is in control and at the appropriate time, he’s going to reward everyone accordingly. Who is even Atiku in the first place? What are his antecedents? This is a man whose life ambition is to be given the key to his state government’s treasury –even for just a day- hope nobody is been deceived by the spoiler’s role he played in the 1992 SDP presidential primaries at Jos? He was so happy and already contented to have achieved that in 1999 - at the third attempts though – and this was due to the general apathy and skepticism that pervaded the whole transition which resulted in the boycott of the governorship election in his Yola home state by some of the well known, competent, highly cerebral and patriotic fellows from the state.
Look at the irony of life; the man you asked to come and eat is now the one holding you back. This is the man catapulted into national limelight by OBJ now claiming to have installed OBJ. Can you give what you don’t have? Has Al-Bashir for once ever asked or do any research about his man’s antecedents? Or is the pay all that tempting and massive that you are now completely blindfolded to the extent that you are now defending the indefensible? I think it is high time Uncle Sam Amuka increase salary at Vanguard. Where was your Atiku in 1970 when the Biafran’s commanders surrendered to OBJ? He must still be battling then with his ‘ acclaimed and prestigious’ diploma certificate in Nutrition? Where was he when OBJ was handling over power in 1979? May be an unknown custom officer somewhere around Idi-Iroko collecting his e_un_je ‘pasepase’?
However, I want to tell my good friend, Al-Bashir that OBJ should take the whole blame. Atiku deserved not to be blamed at all because no matter how well you dressed up a pig, the pig would always go back to the gutter, its natural abode and a child destined to sleep on a bare floor must definitely do so, even if put on the best bed in this world. When you had the luxury of picking your running mate from some of the most cerebral and gentlemen up the Niger, people like Prof Jubril Aminu, Bamanga Tukur, and the articulate and suave Ahmadu Muazu etc- you insisted on picking this man, a professional betrayal. How do you think the late Yar’dua would be feeling now in his grave, or you did not know how this traitor treated the late Tafida, who diligently served you until his last day? Where was Atiku when General Abacha incarcerated the Tafida? This man has started seeing himself as the President in waiting even before your inauguration; sabotaging all your lofty efforts, it is only God that can reveal and appropriately punish this man for all the devilish plans he must have been planning or wishing to happen to you in his inner recess –Baba, please never underrate a desperate man.
You took the man from his obscure position and alas he thoughts he has arrived; perhaps OBJ was not at fault after all, since all the former VPs and Chief of Staff from the south in the past were as powerful and so empowered by their Northern bosses like OBJ did to Atiku. Hope Nigerians can remember how powerful Vice President Ekwueme was in the second republic? I can vividly remember that there were two Presidencies and centre of power during Shagari’s administration and how Ekwueme single handedly put his surrogates in all the juicy ministries and boards of government parastatals, ditto Ebitu Ukiwe and Akhiomu. What about General Diya? In fact, Diya was so powerful that no decision was ever taken in the then PRC without his inputs and final consents. Can Nigerians remember how he was so strategically positioned to take over from his terminally diseased boss by been roped into the December 21, 1997 coup?
Nobody is witch-hunting Atiku or persecuting him, for what purpose please? The man should just come down from his Olympian height, humble himself and stop all the ‘gragras’. You have to respect your boss and be completely loyal to him, otherwise do the most honorable thing - resignation- rather than sponsoring subversive activities against the same Government you are claiming to be a part of. There can never be two captains in a ship, so please sir stop heating up the polity unnecessarily.
According to a Yoruba proverb, ‘Ti ogun ba lo, Ogbon Lo ma n Bo’, this means when twenty goes out, you should be expecting thirty in returns. Who sponsored that rather inciting Thisday editorial of August 2002? What about the Ghali Naa’ba’s impeachment exercise of 2002? What about the Mandela’s option hysteria? What about that BBC interview on the night of January 2, 2003, few hours before the commencement of the PDP presidential primary in Abuja? The primary election with a full dose of treacheries and deceits one can ever think of; high level gang up never heard before in the history of this country. Who was prompting some irresponsible governors to gang up against OBJ at the last minute before the commencement of the aforementioned primary?
The VP said in that tactless BBC interview that he hasn’t made up his mind on who to support? Can you see the level of arrogance and betrayal? He claimed there were three options to choose from: running for the presidency himself, supporting Ekwueme or the last option-grudgingly supporting OBJ. We believe he must have made up his mind by now, then why not allow OBJ to make his own choice, why all this fuss?
Mr VP sir, why are you, a consummate, daring and politically sagacious politician so desirous of getting OBJ’s support for your presidential ambition? A naïve OBJ for that matter; does he has any base at all? No. You know Yorubas are mumus, Tinubu and Akande would deliver South-west for you pronto 2007. What about your famous and ruthless political machinery, the well-oiled political grassroots movement, with excellent organizational skills, the PDM that is always at your beck and call? Please don’t tell me that the PDM has lost its ruthlessness and acclaimed mystical power, the same invisible and powerful PDM that you used to install OBJ twice by crushing all obstacles in 1999 and 2003? What about those powerful governors, your friends that only listen to you and only you alone? You know they are going to determine who is going to be the party’s candidates for next year elections. Who is Anenih self? Has he ever won any election in his lifetime? Whereas you have the Ogbehs, Tinubus, Bonnie Harunas, Awoniyis, Ango Abdullahis, Lawal Kaitas, Ikimis, Naa’bas, Igbinnedos, Iboris etc. Don’t worry Mr VP, to hell with OBJ and Anenih, where was OBJ when you people were forming PDP? Aso rock is your birthright, you only lend it out to OBJ and you are ready to take your right back.
Samuel Agboola Lagos, Nigeria Int_sam74@yahoo.com
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