By Kassim Afegbua
At a time like this in the life of our nation, we need real men who can stand and struggle to birth a new paradigm. Watching Alhaji Atiku Abubakar today on television talking about unity of the country, youths involvement in his government, economic recovery and a whole lot of other issues invoked a sense of loss in me. Why do old men always want to play on the sensibilities of the youths by declaring that they too are youths just to score cheap political mileage? They have used their own quota, they have used our own quota, and they want to use our children’s quota also by declaring that they are youths at such an old age. All in the name of politics!!! Haba!!.
Atiku has failed woefully to provide opposition and voice since 2019 after the elections. In the last seven years, he ought to have led peaceful protests condemning the poor state of affairs in the country. He ought to have conscientized, mobilised and sensitized Nigerians against the misrule of the All Progressives’ Congress, APC, instead of just waiting to throw his hat in the ring for methuselah contest in 2023.
His declaration today, to state the obvious, is an act of political desperation. The PDP leadership has set today, Thursday, for the inauguration of the zoning committee. Instead of waiting for the outcome of the zoning committee, he hurriedly bought the nomination form and formally declared his intention to run. Ask yourselves, have you heard his voice since 2019 against the misgovernance of the APC? Did you see him play the role of opposition? Did you see him visit Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna to share in their aspirations and reassure the people at times of crises and killings? Must it be all about your selfish aspirations and ambition?
– [ ] No doubt, APC has crippled the economy and dislocated the psyche of an average Nigerian. Insecurity especially kidnapping and armed banditry have become the fastest growing industries in Nigeria under the APC rulership. If we had a true opposition figure in the person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, PDP’s candidate in the 2019 presidential contest, it would have been expected that he would in all these years of decimation and destruction, engaged the ruling party, rather he ran away to Dubai to await the next auspicious opportunity to play again. Does that show love for country or love for self? No amount of bleaching can remove the stain of abandonment. Also, a sick country like Nigeria, I insist, does not need fatigued, tired and old bones to heal it of all the daunting challenges, especially men who may very well require the use of “aboniki therapy” to massage their feet before they get up from bed. We need upwardly mobile and utility-driven leaders who will devote their energy and rare intellect to generate ideas to getting the job done at the nick of time. Atiku is not in this age bracket. I would rather support his son for president than opt for him.
I have repeatedly stated that any aspirant from the Northern part of the country would be running against the run of play. It is the turn of the South and no amount of deliberate chicanery, scheming, gerrymandering and subterfuge can deny us of that right. Those who are talking about demographic superiority of the North, should go and study the 2019 election results. All we need is voters turn-out and not this unscientific claim about demography. Voters apathy has become an issue in our elections, which must be addressed urgently to expand the coast of legitimacy in OUR political contestS and outcomeS. Once the turn of the South is assured and guaranteed, all other equations would fall in place. With the level of polarisation across the country, with rising tensions and tempers, with agitations and protestations, there is the urgent need to balance the algorithms of power to create and sustain stability of the system. I will recommend for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees to help guide and guard the party on the right path. A new leadership must be birthed on the strong pillars of honesty, sincerity, transparency, equity, justice, fairness and true love for country and not through armtwisting strategies to railroad the process.
• Afegbua, a PDP chieftain, is a former Commissioner for Information, Edo state.