By Aloy Ejimakor<\/p>\n
This is a short take on the burgeoning notion (from Atiku\u2019s quarters) that Nnamdi Kanu should call-off the presidential election Boycott in order \u201cto assist Atiku to defeat Buhari\u201d. Now, that surely sits well with those who feel \u2018electorally entitled\u2019.<\/p>\n
So, let me say these:<\/p>\n
Did Atiku ever say anything publicly that could\u2019ve assured Nnamdi Kanu\/IPOB that Atiku will consider the prospects of a Referendum? When Kanu alluded to Atiku becoming a Nigerian through a Referendum, why didn\u2019t Atiku recognize that it might\u2019ve been a thinly-veiled strategic opening for a \u201cdeal with Kanu to stand down the boycott\u201d.<\/p>\n
A good start could\u2019ve been for Atiku to publicly condemn the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist Organisation, which the whole world had condemned. Or even the horrendous killing and maiming of IPOB members. Has he even ever mentioned IPOB or Nnamdi Kanu by name? That\u2019s hubris or worse.<\/p>\n
The truth is that, in this matter of election boycott, Atiku and his henchmen have neither demonstrated brinkmanship, nor elementary political courage. That\u2019s troubling and ominous, to boot. If you believe the boycott would hurt you, why don\u2019t you take concrete steps to stop it?<\/p>\n
Buhari may be the personification of evil but he demonstrated political courage and profound brinkmanship by publicly defending Boko Haram against Jonathan\u2019s and Gen Ihejirika\u2019s successful runs against the group, and that won him the core Northern Muslim vote, even though an embarrassing paradox.<\/p>\n
Buhari even got himself nominated Boko Haram\u2019s chief negotiator (a tar brush) and still got elected. Heavens didn\u2019t fall.<\/p>\n
Then this: It\u2019s naive for anybody to believe that Kanu\u2019s sole purpose for the Biafran agitation is to remove Buhari (or his doppelg\u00e4nger) from power or assist Peter Obi (or the Igbo) to become Vice President. These things fall far short of what is at stake for the IPOB, even as it is true that the agitation surely watered the ground for Obi\u2019s emergence.<\/p>\n
And … it is also naive to assume that Kanu would, willy-nilly, call-off the boycott without being sincerely approached to do so. That would be too expedient or worse.<\/p>\n
Innocent people have died, families have been ruined, civil liberties have been laid waste, and there\u2019s a genuine cause that has captured the imagination of millions. These are serious and material issues for discussion and they\u2019re greater than any election that already shows signs of being dubious.<\/p>\n
See how Ohaneze\u2019s harried endorsement of Atiku swiftly splintered and destroyed the group, with ranking members of a faction quickly groveling to Buhari with their red caps-in-hand. This is even as Ohaneze is incapable of persuading 10 persons to sit-at-home as Kanu is capable of getting millions to comply.<\/p>\n
Kanu is not a fool. He\u2019s smart, very smart. He knows that APC is happy with the boycott, simply because it would be electorally advantaged by it. But is that enough to now stampede Kanu to abandon ship and become Atiku\u2019s rank supporter without Atiku asking him to do so, and making a political concession for it?<\/p>\n
Is the reason Atiku is avoiding Kanu not because he knows within himself that: It will be business as usual (if he assumes office), or He\u2019s pandering to the same base that is intent on holding the Igbo down, or Simply because he has no \u2018political mojo\u2019? If any of these three is true, then Atiku probably doesn\u2019t deserve any serious consideration of calling off the boycott.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Aloy Ejimakor This is a short take on the burgeoning notion (from Atiku\u2019s quarters) that Nnamdi Kanu should call-off the presidential election Boycott in order \u201cto assist Atiku to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n