Date Published: 04/29/09
Boni Dumping Atiku? Discard The Dummy
By Edward Wabundani
The last may not have been heard about the recent alleged parting of political directions between the immediate past vice president Atiku Abubakar and the former Adamawa state governor Boni Haruna. Sequel to this development, yours sincerely embarked on a discreet and fairly objective self imposed duty to unravel the truth and otherwise of the much talked about differences as carried by some national dailies last weekend.
Giving an insight into what exactly transpired, impeccable sources both in Yola and Abuja confided to me that there was actually no forum where the former governor used either body language or verbally uttered that he will defect to the ruling PDP. To put it more succinctly, Boni Haruna as at the time of putting this piece together has remained loyal and committed to his political god-father and mentor, the Turaki Adamawa Atiku Abubakar. In fact my source further volunteered and described the relationship that exists between the duo as strong as the rock of Gibraltar. Therefore, all publications in the dailies portraying the duo as people in two different political camps are mere trappings of politics. For avoidance of doubt, both are still stronger together.
In the course of this self imposed duty however, I gathered that the man playing behind the scene to disrupt the age-long chummy relationship between Turaki and Boni Haruna is a political jobber and a serving Senator, who is currently enmeshed in the Siemens bribery scandal. The Senator, a highly controversial character, also has a propensity for domination, suppression and dictatorship. For example, in his days as a Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, the Senator a chauvinist, had a penchant for engaging in battle of wits on some highly administrative matters especially with members of the University Senate who would not like to do things his own way.
The Senator in the eye of the storm according to sources close to him, wanted to use the recent publication in the media as a strategy to instigate the large political followers of the former Vice President against him (Atiku), especially now that the political profile of Atiku is rising. This recent action I further gathered is (Senator) his B plan to whittle down Atiku’s influence on the political landscape of Adamawa State in particular and Nigeria as a whole. This is coming on the heels of the PDP’s recent fruitless effort to throw spanners into the warm family relationship that had existed between the Action Congress National Leader and the Yar’Adua family which spanned over decades. But you can be sure that their efforts will come to a nought.
In a counter reaction to allegations levelled against the Senator, with regards to the purported parting of ways between the Turaki Adamawa and Boni Haruna, a loyalist to the Senator Gambo Samari said, “those castigating the Senator are merely envious of his political profile.” Inspite of this, my findings indicate that the Senator, apart from being domineering in character, he does not respect the wisdom-laced opinions of anybody especially in Adamawa politics.
According to his traducers, his 6 years sojourn as a Senator in Abuja has instead of benefiting people from the state; it had rather rendered them poorer and underdeveloped in all spheres of life. Six years down the road, analysts averred that neither Adamawa nor the Senator’s constituency (Central Zone) had enjoyed federal presence for the mere fact that he had failed in his responsibilities to represent them well.
As if that is not all, the Senator, is also accused of strutting the state’s landscape with the swagger that could make peacock green with envy. His opponents warned that he should not take the praise singers that usher him to public functions as a mark of popularity, because people tortured by unmitigated poverty, hunger and unemployment could do anything for money.
His opponents further posited that these praise singers are political undertakers who have found a new victim in the Senator to add to the list of their casualties and rake in something for them in return. For in the Nigeria today, there seem to be no industry as thriving and lucrative as praise singing, especially in this part of the country. In the absence of anything to keep body and soul together, praise singing the likes of the Senator in the eye of the storm, becomes a favourite pastime to keep the machines of such idlers humming and busy all the time.
Edward Wabundani, a Pubic Affairs Commentator, can be reached on 08074112992.
