BEFORE ATIKU ABUBAKAR IS CRUCIFIED, MAY WE PONDER A LITTLE!
In a political clime like ours where much premium is placed on half
truths and near lies constantly peddled by unscrupulous politicians,
colourless lobbyists, charlatans, political prostitutes and influence
peddlers, it becomes expedient to sometimes clear the air on issues
this group at times raises before they assume the wrong standing. It
is based on the above that one has to ensure that people do not go to
sleep with the wrong information especially as it concerns the actions
of the Action Congress Presidential candidate in the flawed April,
2007 polls, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his petitions at the Elections
Tribunal. Some have said that the Oligarchy has pressurized him to
drop the case while others are noising that an understanding has been
reached for him to discontinue the case as if he went to court to
scurry negotiation ability which is very far from the truth and the
net effect of the rumours can be very destructive for the image of a
man who have demonstrated resilience in the pursuit of justice if such
an erroneous insinuation is not corrected on time.
To some school of thought, Atiku Abubakar's hard stance on not
withdrawing his petition against the emergence of his brother and a
fellow Northerner as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not
minding if the election was flawed or not is said to be canvassing for
a bargaining power to negotiate with the Presidency into erasing his
alleged gazetted indictment by the administration of President
Olusegun Obasanjo. This stand from all available record does not hold
waters as the idea behind this malevolent motive by General Obasanjo
have been overtaken by event as the court has not only quashed this so
called indictment, but Atiku Abubakar was allowed to contest the last
Presidential Election. Proponents of this school of thought are the
same people trying to portray Atiku Abubakar as being disrespectful to
our traditional Rulers and elder Statesmen forgetting that being a one
time Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria he is well
versed in protocol and respect for these revered institutions. This
school are those behind the erroneous media presentation associating
Atiku with being disrespectful to some eminent traditional leaders
that include our revered Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Sa'ad
Abubakar 111, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano, the Obi of Onitsha,
His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and, Sir Muhammed Sanusi among
some concerned elder statesmen alleged to have being rebuffed when
they visited Atiku in Dubai, United Arab Emirate to put pressure on
him to withdraw his case at the Presidential Election Tribunal. This
cannot be but pure blackmail and calculated attempt to dress Atiku in
a borrowed toga as arrogant and disrespectful to traditional
institution and elder statesmen in the country which runs contrary to
the fact that, Atiku Abubakar not only respects traditional
institution but rightly belong to that revered institution being the
most capped or rather the highest living Nigerian traditional titles
holder in the country today. For avoidance of doubt, the former Vice
President apart from being the Turaki Adamawa one of the highest
titles in the Adamawa province is the Ochendo Ndi Igbo of Adamawa and
Taraba States; Saraduna Ganye; Zege Mule 'U' Tiv; Mayedoro of Lagos;
Shetima Biu, Zantalma of Borno; nyioha Ndigbo of Enugu, Suka of
Ogoniland, Ezi Enyi of Anambra, Nwanne Di Na Mba of Imo State and over
thirty other titles that need not be mentioned because of lack of
space. For some people therefore to try to portray such a person as
being disrespectful to highly respected traditional rulers is a
blackmail which runs contrary to any sound reasoning.
The second school of thought holds that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar's
inordinate ambition is to become President of Nigeria at all cost and
nothing else. Those that hold this view either do not know who Atiku
Abubakar is or what his principles and political thoughts are or are
just doing everything to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Though there is nothing wrong for any person to desire to rule his
country constitutionally, the fact is that Atiku Abubakar has never
taken the issue of becoming Nigerian's President as a do or die
affair. He has demonstrated, based on the unpleasant circumstances
placed before him by General Olusgun Obasanjo and his undemocratic
cronies that he is a true democrat who is desirous to protect and
respect the rule of law and the constitution of our country at all
times. It is common understanding that Atiku detest abuse of the human
rights of Nigerians in any form by elements holding sway as leaders of
Nigeria. These he has demonstrated even at the risk of his life. It is
this school that is also sowing seeds of discord among key followers
of this great democrat particularly among Chief Tomi Ikimi and His
Excellency Senator Tinubu but thank God that the evil machination and
faulty strategy of this school has been dully exposed. It is on that
note that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu need to be commended for his
timely rebuttal of the evil machination of enemies of democracy in
Nigeria over the erroneous insinuation that he has threatened to
decamp from AC if Atiku fails to withdraw his case from the tribunal.
For this timely rebuttal, Tinubu has won more followers to his side
and the side of true democrats in the country. This has proved that
the said phantom conflict between him and Atiku was only in the
polluted minds of evil minded politicians that would have preferred
and celebrate such a conflict between these two lights of democracy in
Nigeria in order to achieve their wicked desire of keeping Nigeria in
perpetual undemocratic control. With thefailure of their evil ploys
and diversionary tactics aimed at detracting true democrats from the
historic role of salvaging the country from the shackles of the
undemocratic forces in the country; they can now go and bury their
heads in shame.
The third school of thought states that Alh. Atiku Abubakar having
served as the Vice President of Nigeria should be contented and forget
the idea of becoming the President of Nigeria. The proponents of this
school of thought though entitle to their opinion forgot so easily
that if not for Atiku, General Obasanjo and his cohorts would have
conquered the country with its evil third term plot and succeeded in
becoming the Emperor of Nigeria he so much desires or plunge the
country into a disastrous civil war that would have consumed us all.
It is also truism that without the various legal battles instituted
and won by Atiku the country's democracy would have been in limbo by
now. If I am to accept the views of the school of thought that holds
that the third term plot of General Obasnjo would have plunged this
country into a calamitous civil war, it then means that Atiku Abubakar
by killing the evil intention of General Obasnjo and his little minded
cronies over the hilarious third term agenda saves this country from a
bloody civil war!
Having stated all these facts Nigerians and the world at large can now
easily read between the lines of all the follies, the maneuvers and
untoward pressure on a man whose only desire and plots is to use this
case to strengthen the country's democratic norms and culture. If he
succumbs to any pressure and withdraw his case before the Tribunal
that will be most unfortunate, regrettable; and would have negated all
the principles he ever stood for thereby legitimizing the electoral
fraud, day light robbery, subversion of the people's mandate and
undermining democratic process in the country. Most sadly, such an act
will be rendering all that he went through in the hands of
undemocratic elements in the country fruitless and therefore a lesson
in masochism.
In conclusion Atiku is in no way trying to endanger or truncate the
democracy he risked his life to give to Nigerians by sustaining his
petition before the Tribunal but is only desirous of not only to
enrich our legal tenets but our democratic norms. Today the people of
Kogi are celebrating the victory of the law, light over lawlessness,
anarchy and darkness which INEC and its promoters stands forgotten
that without Atiku such celebration would have an illusion. For
avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar has nothing whatsoever against
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as an individual or against him being
Nigeria's President, he is only proving an already overstated fact of
Mr. President, the European Union and the entire world that the
general election organized by General Obasanjo and his kangaroo INEC
was not only flawed but the worst in the record of any democratic
set-up in any other country. For a regime which stands on rule of law,
not pursuing the nullification of fraudulent practices like the
rigging of the elections will only mean paying lip service to the
generally accepted global principles of justice, fairness and equity
on which pedestal democracy thrives.
President Yar'Adua being a true democrat does not in any way hold any
grudge against Atiku for being in the Tribunal with him as he still
respectfully regards him not only as his elder brother but the true
head of PDM being the only organization that unifies all true
democrats and progressives in the country. For President Yar'Adua to
have accepted that the election was flawed and strive to improve on
rule of law in the country that was bastardized by Obasanjo and his
cohorts shows that he believes in the course Atiku Abubakar is
fighting for a greater and better Nigeria so let political jobbers,
political careerists, the economic mercenaries, the social miscreants,
Vampires, charlatans, usurpers, pretenders, the intellectual sophists
and sycophants that are looking for what to eat leave the symbol of
our modern day democracy, the principled Atiku and his brother
Yar'Adua alone.
The sacrosanct fact is no matter our political divides, Atiku stands
as the most humiliated, vilified, victimized political Leaders in the
history of Nigeria but also the greatest Political Leader alive whose
contributions towards modern evolution of our democracy will be hardly
equaled by any political Leader alive. With his contributions
particularly from saving this country from the civil war the third
term proponents had plotted for the country and for enriching both our
legal tenets and political horizon in such a way no Nigerian either
living or dead have done, the fact stands that Atiku having achieved
all these and for liberating the country from the shackles of what
Obasnjo stands for can now ranked with the founding fathers of
Nigeria; the greats of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe Sir Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahamadu Bello and Chief Tony E. Enahoro.
Let us therefore, as a country that has been stagnant in growth all
these years particularly the last eight years due to bad leadership,
acknowledge and hail the vision and plans of the saviour of democracy
in our country.
By Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
ezecontinental@yahoo.com, 08053469916
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
Is a Media Consultant based in Port Harcourt.