The Nation Newspaper

Tag: atiku

  • Atiku urges political enemies to prove corrupt activities

    Atiku urges political enemies to prove corrupt activities

    FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged his “self-righteous political enemies to prove his alleged corrupt activities”.

    Alternatively, he advised those making such allegations against him “to mind the skeletons in their own closets and keep quiet”.

    He said he would fight corruption like never before if he is given the opportunity to preside over the country’s affairs.

    Atiku spoke when he toured the facility of a new ultra-modern Yaliam Press Limited in Jabi area of Abuja yesterday.

    A statement by his media office in Abuja quoted the former vice president as saying: “It is sickening to continue to regurgitate allegations of corruption against me by people who have failed to come forward with a single shred of evidence of my misconduct while in office.”

    He added that people, who have no initiative, personal resourcefulness and ideas about wealth creation, always assume that a man cannot build himself without stealing.

    According to him, “People who are bereft of ideas about entrepreneurial spirit always think that everyone else is a thief just like them.”

    He added that it was morally offensive for people who despise honest labour to become judges in the courts of public opinion.

    The Waziri Adamawa explained that though he has not been convicted of corruption by any court in the land or elsewhere, his political enemies have been parading a fake morality to fool gullible Nigerians.

    “Despite previous desperate efforts to link me with corruption, the William Jefferson trial in the United States ended in 2009 without indicting me or linking me to corrupt activities,” he said.

    Atiku, who was responding to the address by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Yaliam Press Limited, Yahaya Ali Amfani, recalled that he had pasted a reminder at his bed rest during his training as a custom officer that he (Atiku) would retire from any agency if he had not attained the headship of the place at the age of 40.

    Atiku said he was only able to attain the position of Deputy Director before his exit in 1989 to chart a career in business.

    The former vice president told the management and workers of Yaliam Press that he retired from the Customs with untainted record, adding that if anybody has evidence that he stole during his service year in Customs or during his tenure as vice president, such accusers should come forward or file a petition against him.

    Atiku said he didn’t become a vice president in 1999 as a pauper because he has been a successful investor throughout his retirement life.

     

  • Crack in APC over member’s comment on Atiku, minister

    Crack in APC over member’s comment on Atiku, minister

    • Amosun: Only illness can stop Buhari from seeking second term
    • Osinbajo disowns ‘run for president’ campaigners

    There appears to be a crack in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over a member’s comments on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Women Affairs Minister Hajia Aisha Alhasan.

    The Nation learnt yesterday that the National Vice Chairman (North West), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, has come under fire for his comments on the duo

    Some members are demanding that he be sanctioned for what they called unauthorised comments.

    Abdulkadir had attacked Atiku and Alhassan over the minister’s statement that she would support the former vice president against President Muhamadu Buhari in the 2019 election.

    But Ogun State Governor Ibikunde Amosun yesterday said only illness could stop the President from seeking a second term.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said he was not running and disowned a group campaigning for him.

     

    The NWC members said Abdulkadir was acting a script, adding that he did  not speak on the committee’s behalf.

    They also alleged that he was sighted driving towards the residence of a former top government official after his press conference against Atiku on Friday.

    They are demanding sanctions against Abdulkadir for “official trespass” by dabbling in the affairs of the North-East when he is from the North-West.

    However, APC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the party had no position yet on Atiku’s and Alhassan’s comments.

    He said any NWC member that speaks was just expressing his or her personal opinion.

    Findings by our correspondent revealed that while some members of the NWC were backing Atiku and Alhassan, some are with the President.

    It was learnt that the split in the NWC made Buhari’s  supporter to pull a fast one through Abdulkadir to attack Atiku.

    It was learnt that most NWC members were angry that the party’s leadership was not consulted on ministerial appointments and was not briefed on the direction of the Buhari administration. They are also angry that the party cannot pay electricity bills or buy diesel for its generator.

    A member of the NWC said: “Some of us are actually backing Aisha and Atiku. The party has been sidelined since after the election in 2015.

    “We have not been allowed to make input into the governance of our own administration. Each time there is an issue, you will always see the party leadership wandering to defend lapses.

    “We cannot even meet some basic needs especially secretariat staff salaries and utility bills. The party has not only been sidelined, it has been abandoned.”

    Another NWC member said: “It is politically better for me to be at home with my family than being a leader of the party. Unlike what obtains in the US, the UK and China, the party leadership does not count in all the policies and activities of the government.

    “Many of us are angry and we may return to our tents before the coalition which produced this government.”

    A key leader of the party said: “The centre does not actually hold in the NWC again. Many of us are ready to talk but we are waiting for the auspicious time.

    “Some of us  in the NWC have protested to the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun over comments attributed to Alhaji Abdulkadir on Atiku.

    “Abdulkadir spoke on behalf of the party when he is not even our spokesman. He also committed political trespass by talking on issues outside his jurisdiction. He is from the North-West whereas Atiku and Sen. Aisha are from the North-East.

    “We suspected that Abdulakdir was hatching a script because after his briefing on Friday, he was sighted going towards the residence of a former top government official.

    “Maybe the camp of Lawal is capitalizing on the situation to pay Atiku back in his own coin. Even at that, what is the business of the National Vice Chairman( North-West) in the affairs of the North-East?

    Responding to a question, the highly- respected member of the NWC said: “Some of us have told Oyegun, that Abdulkadir must be sanctioned.”

    But another senior NWC member said: “Some of us have no apology for sticking to Buhari. Some APC leaders are complaining because there is no money to throw around like during the PDP era.

    “They are just out to stop Buhari from getting a second term ticket. They want to split the party. This is their ultimate target. We see Atiku and Sen. Alhassan as the cannon fodders.

    “Either in APC or PDP, there is no way Buharists will allow Atiku to go far. He flew the kite so early and this same political style has been his greatest undoing.

    “The President has waved off Atiku’s tantrums but his strategists have launched a counter plot. Just wait for how things will unfold. He will end up playing second fiddle in 2019.”

    Abdullahi said Abdulkadir was on his own.

    He said: “We don’t have a position, we have not met. We are not planning to meet and we have not scheduled any meeting on  this matter or any other purposes.

    “The point is that there is no official position on this issue. Anyone talking is just expressing his personal opinion.”

    Amosun  said only the president’s  health could stop him from seeking re – election.

    The governor  spoke with reporters  in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, shortly after a Book Launch and Scholarship Scheme in commemoration of one year remembrance of renowned educationist, the late Chief Lamidi Sofenwa.

    The book entitled: “Lamidi Ayinla Sofenwa: Quintessential gentleman and educationist: A Biography” was  reviewed by Dr Taofiq Salisu. It was written by Olasumbo Martins; ‘Dele Sogbesan and ‘Biodun Odetoyin.

    Amosun lamented that human beings were quick to forget about yesterday, saying given how bad things were before Buhari’s administration came on board, Nigerians should know that a lot has been done to pull Nigeria back on track.

    According to him, if Buhari and his administration had not come in time on rescue mission, “only God knows where Nigeria would have been today.”

    “On this 2019 for me, the only thing that can probably  prevent  Mr. President from contesting is on health ground because if not for this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari only God knows where Nigeria would have been.

    “As humans, we quickly forget things, if we could be fair to this administration, they came in at a time the country was plunged into a very deep end and imagine where the country is today. We were in recession and now we are out of it and it is not easy to get to this point.

    “Again I am saying it, the only thing that can stop Mr President is on health ground but as we can see today Mr President is back and is rejuvenating and very soon, it would be clear for everybody to see that Mr President is so well now.

    “Meanwhile nobody will take the fact that from the three cardinal points he set for himself, this administration has been doing tremendously well in the aspect of security and we all know that nothing good can happen in any country without adequate security.

    “Yes, some people are saying Boko Haram has not yet been conquered but if you look at America and put into consideration how many years it took them to win the war against Osama Bin Laden, among others you will know that this administration should be applauded as far as security is concerned.

    “The same thing in our economy, just look at our agriculture it has never been this good. At least,  I am a governor and this is my seventh year,this is the first time that truly Nigeria is diversifying,” Amosun said.

    On the late Sofenwa, Amosun said: “Clearly Baba is a quintessential devoted man, an educationist par excellence and he is detribalised Nigerian.

    “Imagine he went to Postiskum in Yobe State, and he worked to the extent that a hall was named after him there and that is the kind of person he was.”

     

     

  • 2019: Atiku fires first shot

    2019: Atiku fires first shot

    IF anyone expects ex-president Atiku Abubakar to be agitated by the furious reactions to the broadside he fired on the Muhammadu Buhari presidency last week, or by the hasty and indiscreet statements of his protégé, Aisha Alhassan, they obviously do not understand the character and politics of the Adamawa State-born politician. Senator Alhassan, who is also Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, had baited the usually reticent Buhari presidency by suggesting that the president would not be seeking a second term in 2019, or that even if he attempted it, he was sure not to receive her support. She was unalterably committed to the politics and person of Alhaji Atiku, she enthused with lyrical flourish. Warned that her intemperate view on the forbidden subject was like a red rag to a bull, especially to the hyenas and jackals in the presidency, she shrugged off their misgivings and proceeded more severely, indeed most provocatively, to describe the president as not given to the hastiness and naivety of the sycophantic crowd around him.

    Perhaps alarmed by his protégé’s boldness and daring, or acting in synchrony with her, Alhaji Atiku quickly weighed in on the controversy, and with words carefully and defiantly selected accused the Buhari presidency of sidelining him despite his efforts in helping the APC win the 2015 general elections. Asked on different occasions if they both meant the uncomplimentary remarks they made about the Buhari presidency, the former vice president and serving minister refused to back down. They meant every word, they insisted, and are contemptuous of whatever interpretations anyone might give their statements. If she were sacked for disloyalty to the Buhari government or for impertinence, the somewhat fatalistic Senator Alhassan thought it was inconsequential to her future and political career. For the former vice president, any talk of him exaggerating his status within the ruling party was absolute nonsense. His private meetings with the president, he explained impatiently, could not be equated with the more formalised and dignified party meetings and decision-making processes he would have loved to associate with.

    What has taken place, unknown to the public, and far beyond the semantics of his statements and the import of Senator Alhassan’s mild insolence, is that Alhaji Atiku has simply and knowingly fired the first shot in the coming 2019 presidential election. Whether by design or accident, the Buhari presidency, which is erroneously thought to be too detached to plot intrigues and make calculations, appeared keen on freezing 2019 politics until sometime in the second or third quarter of 2018. Such a calculation would favour the dithering cabal around the president, wrong-foot the president’s political opponents, and put the rest of the country on tenterhooks. But that calculation overlooks the skill, experience and immense capacity of Alhaji Atiku, a veteran of many presidential elections with an instinctive grasp of the Buhari government’s political compass. He knew that if by the first quarter of next year the disharmony in the APC had not been resolved, and the issues that plague the party forced, his presidential ambition could be imperilled.

    Now, whether the president and the ruling party like it or not, they will have to confront their demons frontally and boldly, for the former vice president has let loose legions of these demons and thumbed his nose at the presidency. Afraid that the party could disintegrate, unable to even constitute the Board of Trustees (BoT), let alone convene its euphemistic replacement — the Council of Elders — scared out of their wits to organise a non-elective convention, and with the president a hors de combat already, no one in the party, not even the quibbling and indecisive party chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, could summon the courage or enterprise to energise the party into the minutest action. The party’s leaders must now meet, even if it kills them, while the fear that has both hobbled and paralysed them for a year or two must be confronted, if not with courage and eagerness, then at least with urgency and pain.

    Alhaji Atiku himself, as he is wont, will want to run rings around the president and his cabalistic aides. He will be undeterred by their constant resort to abuse, including the dire and apocalyptic invectives presidential aides hurl at imaginary enemies. He fought against the more robust and unyielding ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo to the point of an egregious stalemate that compelled the latter to foist an unfit pair of leaders on the country; it will matter little to Alhaji Atiku to joust with the clearly more listless President Buhari, regardless of his hard and glacial looks. He will think that in any combat from now on, someone of his background, courage and acumen can take on the president and his obviously untested aides and win. He senses, as only someone like him can do, that those who surround him are more passionate and eager for martyrdom than those who surround the president. Senator Alhassan provided the perfect litmus test. The horde in many parts of the North may be reckless and fiercely pro-Buhari, Alhaji Atiku however understands that like a great ship steered by a small rudder, these supporters react differently when the battle is between two northern political aristocrats.

    It may be too early to get the president to disclose his 2019 intentions. He will probably prevaricate on that subject, assuming reporters can get close enough to him to coax him into saying something. He had hoped to be left alone until sometime in the middle of 2018, perhaps in order to preserve both his political integrity and myth. Now, the former vice president has wrong-footed him and appears to be compelling both him and the party to make up their minds and disclose their intentions. They are unlikely to readily oblige the ex-vice president. The party will swim or sink with the president, as the former vice president very well knows, and it will wait for the president to indicate what he wants. It is, however, certain that President Buhari cannot impose anyone on the party, for he is not really a politician in the truest sense of the word nor someone adept in political machinations. He has not expanded his support base in the party; in fact he has naively managed to constrict it by shunning and exiling the coalition that gave him electoral victory, not to say also distancing himself from the methods and measures that enable a political party to flourish.

    Senator Alhassan suggested that President Buhari was minded to do only one term, and had in fact, perhaps on account of his health, made utterances to that plaintive effect. But even if he had said so, as Chief Obasanjo and ex-president Goodluck Jonathan also chorused when they confronted that political expediency in their time, it was probably an indication of desperation to win office. President Buhari, despite the gloss put on his health condition, is not fit as a fiddle. Far from it. Deep down, he may want a second term; but he can’t fight for it, nor scheme for it, nor browbeat anyone over the matter. He may refuse to disclose his ailment; but his health status is transparent enough for his opponents to judge that his restoration is a long way off, a restoration that could be jeopardised by gruelling physical, emotional and ideational campaigns. The brief 2015 campaigns did not expose him to hostile assessment. But should he indicate interest in 2019, he will be called upon to move round the country, debate, parry harsh questions, speechify relentlessly, and be made to defend his implausible and outdated position on restructuring.

    In reality, it is doubtful whether President Buhari will intrigue for a second term, despite the ingratiating statements made by Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and the patronising hurrahs from the ruling party. That the president will probably not be seeking a second term, while trying to extend the active lifespan of his first term, does not however suggest that Alhaji Atiku will enjoy freedom of any kind to cavort within the party. The party is made up of many interests, some of them fiercely opposed to one another. There is neither a binding force to keep them together, since the president inexplicably declined that role, nor an ideology to bind their policies and vision together. For the more than two years it has ruled, the APC has not shown the cohesion and discipline necessary to impose order on its members. The implication is that with the ex-vice president beating the starting pistol, a fierce competition within the party to succeed the president is about to be unleashed. If President Buhari does not show the presence of mind and altruism to control the fission reaction certain to take place in the party in the next few months, external forces like Chief Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, all of them retired army generals, could seize control of that momentum and moderate the competition.

    It does not matter how the presidency handles the Senator Alhassan provocation, whether she is thrown out of the cabinet or not, or whether she is given the cold shoulder or ostracised completely. What is important is that ex-president Atiku will stand by her, for the political combat she has triggered is invaluable to the party, to her mentor, and to the country. There is no ideal time to grapple with that combat. Better to face the music now, even if it is a dirge, than postpone the fight and watch helplessly as the initiative and momentum pass to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

  • 2019: How far can Atiku go?

    2019: How far can Atiku go?

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has never hidden his interest in the Presidency. He is likely to be in the race for the fifth time in 2019. Can he get the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket? Or will he rejoin the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Group Political Editor, Emmanuel Oladesu, examines the prospects and constraints of his struggle for presidential power.

    AT 72, veteran presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is still very much interested in the exalted office. Ahead of the 2019 election, the former vice president has returned to the hustings. The Turaki Adamawa is building new bridges and gathering his foot soldiers in anticipation of a titanic battle. He has a target. For him, becoming the president of the most populous black country in the world is critical to the attainment of self-actualisatiion.

    Early next year, the eminent politician, according to sources, will declare his intention to run for the highest office. It will be his fifth attempt. The platform he will use is in the realm of conjecture. Atiku  is one of the architects of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But, in the last nine months, he has been holding consultations with stakeholders across the six geo-political zones, both in the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But, can he succeed in his bid?

    Atiku is a household name. He is a political warrior; wealthy and influential. The experienced politician has fought many battles in the past, winning some and losing some. He is not a man to desert the battle field. When he won, he consolidated his gains. Also, he is always eager to rise swiftly after each fall. Having thrown himself up as the main internal opposition leader in the ruling party, he is now being wooed by his former party, the PDP. In preparation for the battle ahead, Atiku has been treading the path of populism. The Adamawa-born gladiator, in utter sensitivity to popular yearning, has become an advocate of restructuring and devolution of powers, which the Obasanjo/Atiku administration avoided like a plague between 1999 and 2007.

    Atiku’s ambition may have split the Buhari cabinet. Last week, his ambition was endorsed by the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, who said his aspiration is more attractive to her than her cabinet position. Her public endorsement has kick-started the race for 2019, to the consternation of the Buhari camp. The perceived crack in the APC rainbow coalition may now serve as the foundation for Atiku’s frantic efforts to translate his presidential dream to reality.

    The day after Alhassan spoke, Atiku fired salvos at the President and APC. The outburst signalled the parting of ways. The former vice president complained that he has been sidelined, despite his contributions to the party’s victory during the 2015 general elections. “After the formation of government, I was sidelined. I have no relationship with the government. I have not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance. They used our money and influence to get to where they are, but three years down the line, this is where we are,” he fumed.

    Atiku may have also set the tone for the 2019 campaigns. He beamed a searchlight on the Buhari administration, saying “the ruling government has failed in many fronts.” Remarkably, during the 2015 presidential campaigns, President Buhari promised to fight insurgency and graft. But, in Atiku’s assessment, it is worrisome that the anti-terror and corruption wars are half won. Put succinctly, he said, no comprehensive success has been recorded in the last two-and-a-half years.

    The former vice president is throwing his hat in the ring at a critical time in the nation’s history. His onslaught came at the time the President is settling down for work, after returning from a 103 day-medical trip in the United Kingdom. It also coincided with a period of cautious optimism about improvement in national life, following the disclosure by the National Bureau of Statistics that the country has exited recession. Atiku is being put on the front burner by his camp at a time the contending forces in the ruling party are still debating in hushed tones the fitness of the President to run in 2019 and the nature of his succession plan, if he will not seek re-election.

    Since he entered politics in the Third Republic, Atiku has not looked back. Before his foray into politics, he had shown some traits of leadership. In his days as a Customs officer, he built a network across the country, cutting across the business class, the entrenched aristocrats, traditional rulers and the political elite. Many believe that despite the ups and downs of politics, he has often positioned himself as a factor. Even, if he has not recorded any monumental success politically since he left office as the number two citizen, his past heroic feats as a consummate politician, great mobiliser, master strategist and crowd puller fill the public consciousness. Tragically, he has been trying to build on his past glories,  without success.

     His ambition to rule the country has hit the rocks four times. In the aborted Third Republic, he was projected by his mentor, the late Maj-Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua, the founder of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). Then, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida had excluded Yar’Adua and other key politicians from the race. At the Jos convention of the proscribed Social Democratic Party (SDP), Atiku  stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola, who emerged as the standard bearer. Although he was also a vice presidential aspirant, his candidature was rejected, following pressures on Abiola by the SDP governors and state chairmen who insisted that former National Chairman, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, should pair with the SDP presidential candidate.

    In the post-Yar’Adua era, Atiku was perceived as the leader of the influential PDM caucus in the PDP. Other members of the group are the late Chief Sunday Afolabi, Chief Tony Anenih, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Senator Jibril Martins-Kuye, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Chief Dapo Sarunmi, Olorunfunmi Basorun, Chief Yomi Edu, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Senator Tony Adefuye, Mrs. Onikepo Oshodi, Mrs. Titilayo Ajanaku, and the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi.

    To survive, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo leaned on this group in 1999.  Although Atiku had been elected as governor of Adamawa State, Obasanjo made him his running mate. He preferred him to Abdullahi and Rimi, owing to his political antecedents as a confidant and ally of the late Tafida Katsina. Both of them won the poll in 1999. As vice president, the Turaki Adamawa was the de facto president. He was the Controlling Minister of the Economy. To get things done, politicians and others must curry his favour.

    Atiku has traversed major parties in a bid to achieve his long standing ambition to rule the country. He has not lost focus, even in the midst of multiple political adversities. When it was evident that he would be excluded from the presidential race through indictments by a teleguided administrative panel, he was salvaged by the temple of justice. He was in court six times and he triumphed. His ability  to confront challenges of his political career aptly underscores his audacity and courage.

    Dissatisfied with the PDP, which edged him out, following his sour relations with former President Obasanjo, he sought refuge in the defunct Action Congress (AC). In 2007, he was the party’s presidential standard bearer. In 2010, he called it quits with the opposition party and retraced his steps to the PDP. AC leaders, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Alhaji Lam Adesina, Senator Chris Ngige and Chief Audu Ogbeh, were taken aback. From the PDP, where he claimed he was also marginalised, he joined the APC.

    To his supporters, the former vice president was a victim of gross miscalculation, which ultimately heralded a missed opportunity in the past.  When it appeared the coast was clear for Atiku in 2003 to get the PDP presidential ticket, he failed to seize the moment, to the surprise of many governors and other big wigs who were ready to endorse him. The PDP governors had an agenda. They wanted to halt Obasanjo’s dominance to avoid alleged persistent persecution. Even, Obasanjo, a General and civil war hero, was said to have prostrated for Atiku to get his nod for re-nomination at that critical midnight. After he assisted Obasanjo to get a second term, the former president later branded him a corrupt and disloyal partner, in whom he no longer has confidence.

     Four years later, Atiku picked up the gantlet. He was on the firing line. His ambition could not fly. As the AC flag standard, he was defeated at the presidential election by the late President Umaru Ya’ Adua in an election which the winner acknowledged was severely flawed.  In 2011, he could not make it at the PDP primary, although he defeated former military President Bababgida at the unofficial Northern regional shadow poll. Unlike 2003, when he was perceived as the man to beat, if he had wrestled with Obasanjo at the primary, Atiku had become a big elephant who lacked the speed of a lion.

    Before the 2011 poll, Atiku reviewed his strategy. He took some steps. He ran to Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to make peace with his estranged boss, Obasanjo. But, the move was counter-productive. It did not lead to reconciliation and renewal of ties. When he unfolded his plan to contest for the Presidency, Obasanjo sniggered: I dey laugh o. It was loaded with meanings. Indeed, Obasanjo joined forces with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to abort Atiku’s latent dream. When Atiku was tearing the record of President Jonathan at the primary, Obasanjo stood up and whispered some words into the former president’s ears. Atiku lost to Dr. Jonathan, who wielded the power of incumbency.

      The defeat did not dampen his spirit. A colourful and resilient politician, he has refused to be off the radar. He understands the grammar of politics and the role of money in it. He is always strengthening his structure. He had pulled out of the PDP to contend with the principals and principalities he left behind, as he braced for the tempestuous journey to 2015.   The route was strewn with thorns. Sources said Atiku’s supporters thought about floating a new party. When the PDP crisis reached its peak, he exhumed the carcass of the PDM. But, it could not fly.  The former PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Anenih, a founding member of PDM, cried foul, saying that Atiku could not single-handedly transform the political group into a party without wide consultations and the collective endorsement of the surviving members.

    As he intensified his mobilisation of followers, ahead of the APC presidential primary, Obasanjo dropped another bombshell. At a lecture in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Obasanjo had harsh words for his former deputy. He said he refused to hand over to him because he could not vouch for him. Also, members of the defunct ACN in the APC were weary of his ambition. Many of them described him as an inconsistent politician, who jumped ship after losing the presidential election.

    However, Atiku was undaunted. After joining the APC, he unfolded his presidential ambition. Justifying his bid, he said, being one of the architects of this democratic dispensation, he was eligible. “I have always fought against military rule. I have also fought for internal democracy. I have always fought against one-party state because it leads to dictatorship.”

    When critics raised some issues bordering on credibility about him, he fired back, saying no allegation of corruption has been proved against him. He said it was a wrong perception being sustained by detractors who chose to forget that he was part of the administration that set up the anti-graft agencies. “I am not a corrupt politician. Have I been indicted in any way for corruption? I served under an administration that has waged war against corruption,” he stressed.

    In 2015, it was evident that Nigerians wanted power shift. They hankered after true transformational leadership. Atiku said he was answering the call to higher service to salvage the country. He projected himself as a time-tested democrat, promising to preside over an all-inclusive government. He sought to profit from zoning to the North, like other gladiators in the race, including President Buhari, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and newspaper publisher, Nda Isaiah. But, he was demystified at the primary. He emerged a distant second runner-up, trailing Kwankwaso, who came second.

    Will 2019 be different? The ruling party appears polarised. It is facing many crises at the federal and state levels. There is disaffection borne out of marginalisation of founding fathers? Can Atiku become the arrowhead of the dissenting voices? Will they join forces with him to stop the President from going for a second term, if he wishes? If the President does not run, will Atiku become the beneficiary of his succession plan? Will the cabals allow him to have the ticket?

    If he defects to the PDP, what are his chances of getting the ticket? Will the forces that opposed him in 2007, 2011 and 2015 embrace him in 2019? Can he beat other presidential aspirants in the PDP, including former  Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, and PDP National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi? Will the PDP governors endorse him? If he gets the PDP ticket, can he defeat President Buhari, if the latter runs?

    If Atiku contests on the platform of another party outside the APC and the PDP can the new platform

  • APC to Atiku, others: Watch your utterances

    APC to Atiku, others: Watch your utterances

    The Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), North West Zone, Inuwa Abdulkadir, on Friday cautioned members of the party to watch their utterances and not hide under the freedom of speech to bring the party to disrepute.

    Abdulkadir, who was reacting to a statement credited to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he has been sidelined by both President Muhammadu Buhari and the party, described the claim as “unguided statement” which should not be coming from a man of his repute.

    The APC chieftain, who spoke with journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, also said the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, was practically blackmailing the President with her statement.

    He said: “Atiku Abubakar is a very important member of this party. He is one of the leaders of this party and I have no doubt about his contribution to building this party. He has also added value by his personality during the last election.

    “People of such standing and reckoning in this country, particularly being a former vice president of this great nation, he has attained the position of a statesman and what we expect from him is nothing less than that. By virtue of his former office and his age, he is qualified to be a statesman.

    “But when you reach that status and age there are certain things you have to come to terms with, most important of which is to exhibit a high sense of decorum in your conduct. What I mean is that you have to guard what you say, how you say it and when you say it because what is expected of you as a statesman is nothing but factual.

    “Secondly, majority of the people look up to you to provide leadership in the sense that from what you say people can learn a lot.

    “Of recent Atiku has made some statements to the effect that or created an impression of the failure of the party and President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. At that level, good party members, especially of his status should not be seen to be making such public statements even if those criticisms are factual, whereas in this case some of these statements were misleading and incorrect.”

     

     

  • Osinbajo, Atiku, Ekwueme, others extol Maitama Sule’s virtues at book launch

    Osinbajo, Atiku, Ekwueme, others extol Maitama Sule’s virtues at book launch

    VICE President Yemi Osinbajo and former Vice President Abubakar Atiku were among notable personalities that extolled the virtues of Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), the late Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule, yesterday at the unveiling of a book in his honour.

    Others at the unveiling of the book titled: “Genius Orator,” which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, were Vice President in the Second Republic, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mamman Nasir and former Anambra State Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife.

    In his remarks at the event, Osinbajo said Maitama Sule, who held the traditional title of Dan Masani Kano, was an exceptional character, who was motivated by patriotism and selflessness.

    He said: “This was a man for whom material comforts were never a driving impulse. Public service for him was never about amassing wealth and privilege; instead, it was about serving humanity and living true to his beliefs and ideals. Believing in Nigeria was one of those ideals. He was a believer until the very end.”

    He added that Maitama Sule was a gifted orator, who deployed his skills to persuade, to exhort, to inspire,  to set direction and create a vision.

    Osinbajo hailed the book author, Prof. Chike F. Okolocha, for documenting Sule’s “life and views in great detail,” noting that there was need for other scholars to write “these important stories before the principal actors and characters pass on”.

    Atiku described Maitama Sule as “a combination of so many positive attributes: orator, patriot, nationalist, pan-Africanist, humanist, diplomat and educationist.”

    He said as a teacher, the late Dan Masani Kano was also involved in voluntary teaching, where he taught people in the evenings without pay.

    Atiku said Maitama Sule’s political career began in the early 1950s, when he joined the late Mallam Aminu to found the Northern Elements Progressive Union and continued in the Second Republic when he sought to win the presidential ticket of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) but lost to former President Shehu Shagari.

    Others, who spoke at the event, were Justice Mamman Nasir (Rtd), who was the Chairman of the organising committee of the event; Ezeife and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

  • Maitama Sule: Osinbajo, Atiku extol virtues

    Maitama Sule: Osinbajo, Atiku extol virtues

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku were among notable personalities that extolled the virtues of Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Late Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule on Thursday at the unveiling of a book on the late elder statesman.

    Others at the unveiling of the book titled: “Genius Orator,” which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, were Nigeria’s Vice President in the Second Republic, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mamman Nasir and former Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife of Anambra State.

    In his remarks at the event, Osinbajo said Maitama Sule, who held the traditional title of Dan Masani Kano, was an exceptional character who was motivated by patriotism and selflessness.

    He said: “This was a man for whom material comforts were never a driving impulse. Public service for him was never about amassing wealth and privilege; instead it was about serving humanity and living true to his beliefs and ideals. Believing in Nigeria was one of those ideals. He was a believer until the very end.”

    He said Sule was a gifted orator, who deployed his skills to persuade, to exhort, to inspire, to set direction and create a vision.

    Osinbajo commended the author of the book, Prof. Chike F. Okolocha, for documenting Sule’s “life and views in great detail,” noting that there was need for other scholars to write “these important stories before the principal actors and characters pass on.”

    Atiku described Sule as “a combination of so many positive attributes: orator, patriot, nationalist, pan-Africanist, humanist, diplomat and educationist.”

    He said as a teacher, the deceased was also involved in voluntary teaching, where he taught people in the evenings without pay.

     

    .

  • Atiku seeks review of education system to tackle poverty

    Atiku seeks review of education system to tackle poverty

    FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has advocated for an urgent review of the nation’s educational system, saying only a functional educational system will pull the nation out of the abject poverty, which, he said, has held majority of Nigerians hostage.

    Receiving a delegation from the United States (U.S.)-based NURU International, the former vice president said a retooled education system that would emphasis functional and problem-solving strategy remained the way to go if the war against poverty is to be won.

    He said with functional education, the high incidence of school dropouts would be reduced and products of secondary education on graduation would have acquired skills that would serve as their source of income for life.

    According to him, Nigeria and Nigerians benefitted from such an educational system in the past.

    But he added that things changed after the civil war when the country adopted an education system that mainly took interest in producing candidates for the universities and not for other levels of higher education.

    He explained that in the past incidence of school dropouts was so low because there were government colleges, secondary schools, technical schools and craft centres, which provided spaces for primary school leavers to continue their educational pursuits based on their respective intellectual/mental ability and capabilities.

    Apart from investing in education, the former vice president said the micro-finance scheme promoted by him has empowered 45,000 families in Adamawa State by providing them with micro-finance facilities with which they started small business.

    Leader of delegation and founder/CEO of NURU International, Mr. Jake Harriman said his organisation, which presently operates in Michika and Madagali areas of Adamawa State aims at reducing “abject poverty” in those communities within the seven years it will operate.

    He said the essence of the visit was to solicit the support of the former Vice President so that NURU will succeed in its poverty intervention programmme.

  • Atiku, Okunnu, Abou felicitate with Muslims

    Atiku, Okunnu, Abou felicitate with Muslims

    FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar,  National President, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu and Baba Adinni of Lagos His Eminence Sheikh Abdul-Haafeez Abou yesterday greet Muslims on Eid-el-Kabir celebration

    Atiku, in his message, said protecting the image of Islam is the greatest challenge facing the Muslim faithful today in the light of the activities of extremists, who are bent on destroying every humane virtues of the religion.

    The former vice president advised Muslims to reclaim the religion which is being hijacked by violent extremists whose atrocities portray Islam in bad light.

    The Wazirin Adamawa expressed sadness that the activities of these violent extremists have economically destroyed the North, in particular the Northeast, and disrupted its social life.

    “As a citizen of the Northeast, I have a firsthand experience of the impact of terrorism on our people’s daily lives,” he said.

    He called for rigorous scrutiny and vigilance to guard against the influence of extremism, including exposing innocent students and followers to their virulent ideas.

    Okunnu urged political leaders to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice, love and unity in the season and beyond.

    In a statement, Okunnu urged Muslims and non-Muslim to ponder on the country during the festive season of sacrifice, lamenting that since independence, Nigeria is still in search of an identity unity, and love.

    According to him; “Most of our leaders lack the spirit of sacrifice, unity and love. They lack the spirit of giving up their lives for Nigeria and the well-being of the people, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

    “Instead of giving, our leaders take from the people they are supposed to protect, serve, make prosperous and happy”.

    He urged the faithful to comport themselves in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, saying this can be done by showing love to and sharing gifts of sacrificial lamb particularly with indigent Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

    Baba Adinni of Lagos, in his goodwill message to Muslims, urged Nigerians to pray to Allah to continue to bestow his mercies and grace on Lagos State and the nation.

    “We must not relent to pray for our leaders and for the nation at large so that we can prosper and develop as other advanced nations of the world.”

  • Atiku and the PDP gambit

    Atiku and the PDP gambit

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is on the march again. The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart is being wooed by his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE examines his moves.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abukakar is, no doubt, one of the few politicians that have invested considerable time and resources in the pursuit of their political careers. His foray into politics dates back to the Third Republic where he narrowly missed a chance to be the running mate to the late Chief Moshood Abiola during the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

    There was a serious push by some powerful elements in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) for an Abiola-Atiku ticket. But, the power brokers within the SDP had settled for Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe to run with Abiola, a ticket that eventually won the election. As a protege of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua, Atiku had his support base firmly rooted in the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). Founded and nurtured by the late Yar’Adua, the PDM was an influential association with enormous political appeal and goodwill across the divides. He staged a comeback in 1999 when he won the governorship election in Adamawa State. Apparently, his enormous resources may have paved the way for him as he eventually ran with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as Vice President. He stuck with Obasanjo for another four years that ended in 2007. Owing to some disagreement between him and Obasanjo, he defected to the then Action Congress (AC) on the platform of which he contested and lost the 2007 presidential election. Atiku retraced his steps to the PDP with an eye on the party’s 2011 presidential ticket. But, the ticket had been reserved for former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Atiku suffered a humiliating defeat at the PDP convention. He later dumped the PDP once gain to align forces with a coalition of parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC). Atiku contested the party’s presidential primary with President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Governor Rochas Okorocha and Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah. He came third in the race, trailing Kwankwaso who came second. That apparently marked the beginning of his lukewarm commitment to the APC even before Buhari emerged president. With palpable uncertainties in the horizon, heightened by Buhari’s protracted illness that has been taking him in and out the country in the last one year, many believe it is time for Atiku to move on.

    The thinking in the Turaki Adamawa’s camp is that, even if Buhari chooses not to seek re-election in 2019, he may have a say in who succeeds him. Incidentally, Buhari and Atiku are not known to be very fond of one other. On the other hand, the PDP has expressed a wish to woo back the high profile politicians that dumped it for the APC, particularly those that did so before the 2015 elections. Being one of such high profile politicians being targeted by the main opposition party, Atiku, 71, is perceived to be contemplating his next move. It is being rumoured in party circles that he may run with the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, if he eventually gets the ticket. The PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the North. Atiku’s comments on critical national issues and his body language have tended to point at his aspiration.

    His strong comments on devolution of power and restructuring have been in synch with the views of a sizable chunk of the informed public, particularly in Southern Nigeria. He has also remained a strong voice against hate speeches and divisive tendencies that have taken over the land in recent times. Then, a signal came from the Adamawa State chapter of the PDP. In a chat with reporters in Yola, the state’s PDP chairman, Abdulrahman Bobboi, said Atiku was being underutilised in the APC. According to him, he would be persuaded to rejoin the PDP where his services were still needed.

    “Atiku is a founding member of PDP and we want him back. We are not going to give him a breathing space until he comes back as he is currently being underutilised in APC. We are going to reach out to him right from his ward to come back to PDP”, Bobboi said. But, Atiku said he read the report in the media just like every other person did. His media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe said, the former Vice President would not respond to speculations. On the reports that he was warming up for the 2019 election, Ibe said Atiku is preoccupied with 2017 and 2018. Ibe said: “He is preoccupied with helping his ruling party and the administration to deliver on its mandate to Nigerians for jobs, security and quality education. He is working in concert with other well-meaning patriots to ensure that the hate and divisions that have gripped our dear country is healed. He believes that the priority for now is helping to provide counsel and leadership to keep our country united”. Ibe insisted that his principal’s main priority for now was to work with other well-meaning Nigerians to stem hate and divisions that have gripped the land, adding that, “for him, it is country first.” The aide however, declined to comment on whether the Wike led reconciliation committee of the PDP has yet made any overtures to him. In response, Ibe cautioned that the former Vice President’s personal relationships across divides in Nigeria must not be misconstrued for anything other than what it is.

    On his relationship with the APC, Ibe said: “It can be better”, stressing that Atiku is of the firm view that there must be a country first and other things shall be added. Responding to questions on his age, Ibe said experience and capacity were key for the electorate and that the assumption that Atiku will contest in 2019 was akin to putting the cart before the horse. Many have viewed Atiku’s frequent defections as a chase after presidential tickets. He appears not tired yet. However, there is a line up of prospective aspirants for the PDP ticket. Atiku may have to fight hard for it. One of them is the Caretaker National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi. But, in a terse SMS to our correspondent on Friday, Makarfi said his purported presidential ambitions remained in the real of rumour. “The rumours have always been there since 2007. I have not spoken with anybody on such matter,” he said: The ousted National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, had, on many occasions, accused Makarfi of working to install Atiku as presidential candidate of the PDP during his 14-month face off with Makarfi over the control of the leadership, even when Atiku still remained a chieftain of the APC.

    But, if a recent statement by Makarfi is anything to go by, then, Sheriff’s accusation may as well be considered off the mark. Shortly after the July 12 judgment that affirmed his leadership of the PDP, Makarfi  warned that the PDP presidential ticket will not be available for “nomadic politicians” to pick. Many are of the view that Atiku fits in the category of nomadic politicians that Makarfi sniggered at. Despite denying eyeing the ticket, it will however, be too early in the day to expect Makarfi to retire to his cattle farm after he must have served out his term as chairman in December.  Also on the queue is ex -Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who has publicly declared his intention to join the race. The Jonathan Presidency had latched on his travails with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to cow him out of the race in 2015. The EFCC had brought money laundering charges against the ex– governor and two of his sons. The case, which is still pending in court, may cause Lamido some distractions, should he join the race. Similarly, Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwabo is also described as a beautiful bride. The governor, who will complete his second tenure in 2019, is one of the few PDP governors that were able to retain their seats against the onslaught of the APC in the 2015 general elections. For this singular feat, he is perceived to be a solid political asset to the PDP. So far, the border line conservative politician is not known with any political baggage that could work against his aspiration. His aspiration is being covertly backed by Chief Obasanjo, who may be ready to give his right arm to frustrate Atiku’s aspiration whenever the occasion arises. The ex-President is perceived to be in a life long battle against his ex deputy over the latter’s role in the thwarting of his infamous third time project. The two politicians left office in 2007 as sworn political enemies. Party sources also hinted that a former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau, may join the race. Though information on Gusau’s aspiration remained scanty for now, sources close to him said he may be considering the present PDP National Secretary, Senator Ben Obi, as a possible running mate. Since 2007, Gusau has acquired a reputation for holding out as presidential aspirant at every election circle and retreating into his cocoon when elections are over.

    Analysts have predicted that if Gusau eventually joins the race, his outing may not be different from his previous attempts. Atiku, who will be over 73 before the 2019 general elections, has, over the years, built strong political bridges across the six geopolitical zones. None of the prospective aspirants can boast of the political machinery at his disposal. His political tentacles are spread across the divides, with associates and foot soldiers who are always ready to be drafted to battle at the shortest notice. Over the years, the ex-Customs officer has invested considerable time and resources in the pursuit of his political ambition more than any other politician of his time. Considering his age, Atiku may opt for a single term of four years as a selling point for his candidature. From all indications, many have predicted that Atiku’s  defection to the PDP is only a matter of time. Pundits are quick to project that, given his age, the Jadda, Adamawa born politician may as well be playing his last game on the political chess board.