The Atiku They Didn’t Know Despite the orchestrated misgivings about him, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has proven to not only have a large heart but has also been magnanimous in defeat, writes Ojo M. Maduekwe You may say you know him because you think you know him. But the question is: are you certain that you know him beyond the bias his former boss has succeeded in creating in your mind? Many young Nigerians have the impression that the former vice-president under President Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar is a “corrupt” politician. This has been Atiku’s undoing each time he showed an interest in becoming Nigeria’s president. The architect of this impression is generally believed to be Obasanjo. Interestingly, this isn’t just an assumption, the former president has gone public a couple of times on Atiku, saying sometimes, the unprintable. This regardless, Atiku has continued to maintain that respect for him and whatever it was that they shared while in office. But what really was Atiku’s sin? He was amongst those who allegedly thwarted Obasanjo’s ambition to amend the 1999 Constitution for a third term agenda, and so, Obasanjo decided to have his pound of flesh. And since Atiku aspired to be president, Obasanjo was said to have gone to town branding his deputy as “corrupt”. Repeatedly, Atiku has tried to explain to the electorate that he was not who and what they thought he was. In 2013 when Obasanjo during an interview with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) magazine, ‘Zero Tolerance’, accused him of corruption and unable to travel to the United States (US) based on the allegation, Atiku defended himself. In a widely reported statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Atiku said Obasanjo was wrong in his allegation. “It is widely known that Atiku didn’t enter government broke. He declared his assets at the commencement of his vice presidency and did so at the end of his term as required by the constitution, which is a sacred document to Atiku.” Reiterating that Atiku had no case against him in any country in the world, including the US, Shehu said it was time for Obasanjo to stop peddling false allegations and deal with facts, one of which was that, “Atiku’s visa to visit the United States has been recently renewed.” He then made reference to the perception of corruption that some people have against Atiku. “Another fact is Atiku is one of the most investigated politicians in Nigerian history. And every investigation, whether politically motivated here at home or by the FBI abroad, has yielded the same result every time: not guilty,” argued Shehu. In September 22, 2014, at a meeting with the media in Lagos, Atiku defended himself, saying the allegation of corruption against him, was “a function of perception”. He explained that the origin of the perception could be traced to the series of failed panel setup to investigate him. “I for one went out of my way to raise money for the EFCC to function. I was the most investigated public servant and that perhaps explains the corruption perception… Most politically-motivated panels are often set up to persecute certain individuals,” he said. To several of Atiku supporters, it is sad that this perception has succeeded in mind-bending from the real qualities of Atiku. Among those who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, Atiku, with a policy document adjudged to have been well articulated, was said to have been the most prepared. In a heterogeneous society like Nigeria, with different conflicting regions and religions, he was said to be the more detribalised and democratic in nature. If he had won the primary and gone ahead to win the presidential election, his administration, many reckoned, would have been capable of uniting the North and South, with no fear of a post-election violence. Also, another quality that has escaped the minds of those with the perception bias towards his person is his ability to make a promise and keep same. In the build-up to the emergence of Buhari as the presidential candidate of the APC, significant statements were made by Atiku that restated as well as tested his position as a democrat. He had pledged to support whoever emerged the candidate of the party, provided it was done in a manner that was free and fair. Addressing the APC Enugu State national delegates in November of 2014, Atiku, although confident then of his chances said: “Whether I win this primary or not, I will support whoever wins.” The contestants, Atiku said, had agreed amongst themselves to support whoever emerged candidate. “That is why in all my public speeches I will not criticise any candidate… This is an undertaking we made that we will support each other and never criticise one another in public.” Minutes after the primary results were announced and Buhari was declared the elected candidate, Atiku had taken to social media site, twitter to congratulate Buhari. “Congratulations General Buhari. The delegates have spoken; you fully deserve the victory –AA.” Later that evening, his media office released a full congratulatory statement. “I heartily congratulate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari for emerging victorious in this keenly contested presidential primary election of our great Party, the APC. You ran a spirited campaign, and since the delegates have spoken, you fully deserve the victory,” the statement stated. Calling on all the other APC contestants, Atiku pledged his support to the candidates of the APC. “I pledge my commitment to this party, and to campaign vigorously for our candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and all APC candidates to ensure victory in the 2015 elections.” Recent online reports alleged that Atiku has donated “N50 million, an aircraft and 12 Land Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicles to facilitate Buhari’s campaign”. Amongst the rest aspirants, with the donations, Atiku who had repeatedly pledged to stand by Buhari would be the first to match words with actions. Atiku’s campaign coordinator in Ekiti, Albert Akinyemi, said in a recent interview that Atiku was supporting Buhari. “Atiku is a democrat to the core. He had promised ever before that election that he would be backing whosoever won the election and this is exactly what he is doing.” Before the said donations, there were reports that he had encouraged the General to feel free to ask for anything he needed to run his campaign and any other thing that will facilitate his victory. This alleged donation, according to a source, was supposed to have been done in secret. An associate of the former vice-president argued that from his knowledge of Atiku, he would not want to make the donation public. “The Atiku I know can make such a donation – and I bet say he has – but will do so in private. This is why you have not read any of the major print national dailies carry the story. This is Atiku; he likes to keep such matters private.” Atiku’s struggle to change the perception has been likened to that of Buhari, who until recently still wore the toga of fundamentalism which was wrapped around him by those who feared a Buhari presidency. With several electorate now more conscious of the politics behind Buhari’s false branding, Atiku supporters hope that in future, Nigerians will also come to see the allegation for what it is: a perception that was created to distract and decimate an otherwise promising material very much needed at a time like this
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 14:47:26 +0000
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