Laa lee e Atiku: A Reaction
By
Abubakar Jika
Dear Dr. Tilde,
Permit me to call you Aliyu. We have not met, though
we missed meeting by whiskers when you visited us at
Bayero University Kano. As a brother Pullo, and
colleague in the front line in defense of the maligned
and blackmailed Northern Nigeria, we are always
together in spirit. I hardly respond to your columns
because I inevitably agree with you: "Laalee e Atiku"
of September 20 - 26, 2002 mirrors my mind.
The article you wrote is genuine. Though everyone
knows your candidate is Buhari but what you told Atiku
is the entire truth from all indications. I also
support Buhari. I support Babangida. And if Atiku can
"create his shade outside Obasanjo" I will support
him. I support causes. My pet cause now is: it was ,
it is and it will always be a mistake to rotate power
in a democracy. I did series of research on this area
when I was teaching at the University of Maiduguri
(1985 - 1989). Motivated by the "Cameroonian
experience," my findings convinced me of the tragedies
of "power shift." Obasanjo further proved it.
It may interest you to know that when we get
opportunity, we the people of Adamawa State always
advice His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, our son, not to
abandon or forget the North. What he makes of this
advice is now public knowledge. It seem to us a great
political tragedy to tie Atiku's political fortunes to
any individual - including Obasanjo, who appears to
think he did him a great favour by picking him as his
political side kick.
Of course the options before Atiku are obvious.
Senators Girei and Zwingina and Representative Gurin
articulated these. Time is running out for him. He
either hangs around Obasanjo as some of the
traditional rulers are pressing and get dumped or
marginalized post 2003. Or he charts his independent
course of action. In this he has two options. One he
can resign and challenge Obasanjo in the primaries.
The pitfall is Obasanjo can fill his seat with a
stooge and would move against him, including possibly
framing him to disgrace him. The second alternative
which I counsels is to play the waiting game till the
end.
In this he neither fans the embers of impeachment nor
help out his boss. He simply out waits every one. He
is covered with immunity of the vice presidency. He
can wait, if Obasanjo is impeached he inherits the
seat and goes to secure nomination. If Obasanjo is not
impeached, he can challenge him for the PDP flag. If
he loses, he re negotiates from position of strength:
stronger role in post 2003 (if they win). If Obasanjo
refuses, he subtly sabotages his chances and make sure
they vacate Aso Rock together. Bandam, I think the
power stakes are so high that Atiku should not leave
Aso Rock alone unless he can drag Baba away with him.