*By Lloyd F. UKWU, Esquire<\/p>\n
With the end of the party primaries, the battle line for the 19th of
\nFebruary 2019 presidential election is drawn between two presidential
\ncandidates: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and
\nMuhammadu Buhari of the All Peoples Congress (APC). Already, Nigerians are
\nexasperated by Mohammuadu Buhari\u2019s presidency because it has proven an
\nunmitigated disaster for the country. Many Nigerians consider him the
\nworst Nigerian president ever. Apart from his inability to make good on
\nany of his electoral promises, his presidency has plunged the country into
\nhitherto unknown levels of violence, poverty, hardship, insecurity and
\ndisunity. The former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, offers a refreshing
\nalternative to Buhari\u2019s bungled and deceitful presidency.
\nPresident Buhari anchored his presidential campaign on three electoral
\npromises. He promised to revamp the economy, and consequently, reduce
\nunemployment; curb corruption; and tackle insecurity, especially, Boko
\nHaram insurgency, in the country. After more than three years, the Buhari
\nadministration has plunged the economy to almost a screeching halt, ground
\nzero and has failed to resuscitate it. Despite the doctored figures by the
\nfederal government that gives the impression of improving economy, there
\nare empirical evidences that the Nigerian economy remains in a doldrums.
\nUnlike in 2015 when the Nigerian economy grew at 7%, it is now growing at
\n1.60%. A recent United Nations\u2019 report crystallized the increasing
\nincidence of poverty in Nigeria, resulting from the irresponsible and
\ndangerous economic policies of the Buhari administration. Nigeria now has
\nthe highest concentration of people living in poverty than any other
\ncountry in the world.
\nHis administration\u2019s much vaunted war on corruption has failed. The
\nNigerian electorate had fallen for Buhari\u2019s posturing as a paragon of
\nincorruptibility and moral rectitude. The proverbial Nigerian street
\nparlance of \u201c One Chance\u201d It is now evident that Buhari is neither
\nincorruptible nor genuinely committed to fight corruption. It is a point
\nsuccinctly articulated by the Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo,
\n\u201cAll the qualities that were attributed to Buhari are fake. He does not
\nreally have integrity; he is a collaborator in the corruption he claims he
\nis fighting\u201d. He is tolerant of corrupt activities within his entourage;
\nhe has refused to punish glaring cases of corruption by his associates and
\nsubordinates. As a result, his war against corruption continues to falter.
\nThe Transparency International Corruption Index, attests that corruption
\nin Nigeria has worsened under Buhari\u2019s watch.
\nMore lamentable than the Buhari government inability to defeat the Boko
\nHaram insurgency, is the added problems of insecurity brought on the
\ncountry by the Fulani herdsmen. Fulani herdsmen, armed with high powered
\nautomatic assault rifles have been wrecking havoc on the farming
\ncommittees in the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria. They attack
\nthese villages, maiming, raping and mass-murdering the innocent. They burn
\ndown villages, drive away their original owners and occupy the villages.
\nOstensibly, the herdsmen are fighting over grazing routes. But, evidently,
\nthere is more to the murderous fanaticism of Fulani herdsmen in the Middle
\nBelt. They have a hidden expansionist agenda.
\nIt has been rightly argued that the average Fulani herdsman lacks the
\nresources and sophistication to acquire automatic assault rifles; they are
\narmed by their masters, the members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
\nAssociation of Nigeria. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
\nNigeria is an association of wealthy Fulani cattle owners. Buhari is a
\nmember \u2013 a grand patron – of the Miyetti Allah. Many Nigerians suspect
\nthat the federal government has been unwilling to protect the farming
\ncommunities in the Middle Belt and punish the murderous Fulani herdsmen
\nand their sponsors because Buhari, in his nepotism, religious bigotry and
\ntribalism, is sentimentally attached to the Fulani murderous, expansionist
\ndesign in the Middle Belt.
\nFor the most part, Nigerians are unified in their resolve to vote out
\nPresident Mohammudu Buhari on 19th February 2019 because four more years
\nof Buharism will almost utterly destroy the country. It will reinforce
\neconomic deterioration, relegate preponderant numbers of Nigerians to
\nraw-dirt poverty, heighten corruption, and further subvert the security
\nand unity of the country.
\nNigerians were impressed by the recent PDP primaries. The process was
\nflawless and the outcome splendid. It produced the most qualified of the
\ncontenders, and further unified the party. It was devoid of the usual
\ndivision and rancor that mar most party primaries in Nigeria, as all the
\nthirteen contenders for the PDP presidential ticket stated their
\nstratification with the electoral process that produced Atiku Abubakar as
\nthe party\u2019s flag bearer. They all considered the process fair, free and
\ncredible, and all pledged to support Atiku and work with him and the party
\nto ensure a PDP presidential victory in February 2019.
\nAtiku is an antithesis of Mohammadu Buhari. Unlike Buhari that is renowned
\nfor his nepotism and tribalism, Atiku is a totally detribalized Nigerian.
\nHe is a Moslem but not in any way a fanatical Moslem. He has respect for
\nother religions of the world, and is acutely conscious that Nigeria is a
\nsecular state. Unlike the ailing and \u201clifeless\u201d Buhari, Atiku is healthy
\nand ebullient. In contrast to Buhari\u2019s parochialism, Atiku is a national
\nfigure, a unifier. He is enlightened and well-read. He is the author of
\ntwo books. He is also a every successful entrepreneur and one of the
\nbiggest employers of labor in Nigeria.
\nHe has the good will and national following to defeat Buhari in the polls.
\nAnd he has the knowledge, experience and mettle to lead Nigeria out of its
\npresent morass of declining economy, ethnic strife and violence,
\ndivisiveness and inequity to new heights of economic vitality, security,
\nunity and equity. An elderly Nigerian statesman summed it up in his own
\nwords, \u201cAtiku is the best available candidate\u201d.<\/p>\n
*Lloyd F. Ukwu, Esquire, an international lawyer, writes from Washington
\nDC, USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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