The announcement by former Vice President Abubakar Atiku two days ago of his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) no doubt has opened a new chart of discourse in Nigeria’s political development, not only for the effect on the APC but more importantly on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party he dumped before the 2015 general election.
His re-joining PDP could not have been a serious issue but his determination to realise his ambition of ruling the country leveraging on the platform of the PDP, has actually changed political permutations in the camp of the opposition party.
The Turaki Adamawa is making his re-entry into the party at a critical stage of the party’s life, especially as its elective national convention holds on Saturday, thereby causing serious political re-alignments and adjustment by various power groups and stakeholders in the party. Atiku’s unhidden ambition, may affect and alternatively jeopardise ambitions of a few presidential hopefuls in the party.
Notably among those that will not take Atiku’s second coming with kid gloves are the incumbent Chairman of PDP Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, and former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido among others.
The threat posed to the camps of these aspiring politicians is the obvious fact that the former Vice President is coming back to the PDP in search of a ticket to contest the presidency come 2019.
Atiku is a threat because he has the financial war-chest to execute his ambition, he has a well- structured political machinery that cut across the nation’s political divides and he has teeming supporters across board.
A rare asset for a serious contender. He is regarded as a political enigma that could not be ignored, hence President Muhammadu Buhari lampooned the APC leadership for allowing such a powerful politician to leave its fold while he said the implication will be too costly for the ruling party.
In a swift reaction to Atiku’s announcement, Makarfi who is apparently jolted, said Atiku’s return will not hinder his own ambition of contesting the PDP presidential ticket.
Though others are yet to make categorical statement in reaction to Atiku’s deft move, The Daily Times gathered that there have been consultations on how to approach the new development without hindering their own chances of picking the party’s ticket. It was further gathered that some foundation members of the party see Atiku’s return as a welcome development as the party is searching for a credible candidate who can depose President Buhari and ruling APC from power.
Aligning with this view, a member of the House of Representatives member (PDP Bayelsa), Hon. Henry Ofongo, likened the former vice president to a father making a journey from his home after many years of hard work, saying that his return must be welcomed by his family with joy and excitement.
He said, “Atiku is like a father who built his house and went on a sojourn, so if he’s coming back, his children won’t say why he’s coming back because home is home. So, we welcome him”. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Bayelsa State lawmaker said that Atiku being a founding member of the PDP, has the right to return to the party, even though, he didn’t help see the party through its trying times after the PDP lost the 2015 presidential election.
He said Atiku who was instrumental to the formation of the PDP, is welcome back to the home he built and before leaving to join the APC. But a chieftain of the PDP in one of the North Central zone who spoke in confidence with The Daily Times said: It is too early to any of us as leaders of the party to speak openly on the new development but I want to tell you that Atiku’s re-entry has changed a lot of things within these two days.
“In the first place, his coming back to contest PDP presidential ticket is not an aberration because the party’s presidential ticket has been zoned to the North which makes him eminently qualified. Secondly, he has a reputation of being one of the founding fathers of the PDP.
Thirdly, Atiku is a politician that has a well- oiled political machinery with foot soldiers across the six geo-political zones. He is a prominent politician by every standard”. When asked whether Atiku is qualified to contest the party’s ticket after playing prominent opposition role against the party, he said there are precedents that will justify his qualification to seek the ticket.
“The party’s constitution provides for a waiver for members coming back into the party or fresh decampees to actualise their ambitions. So, he will not have any problem in that regard”, he added. The Daily Times also learnt that about three of the national chairmanship hopefuls in the December 9 National Convention have approached the Atiku camp with the aim of seeking the support of Atiku’s loyalties that have already emerged delegates to the Convention.
A source in the Atiku Political Organisation who though did not confirm the move, said there is nothing wrong in any candidate or group seeking alignment with another group they think can be of help to their ambition. “Politics is a game of number, so if at all what you are asking me is true, there is no sin in looking for a strong alignment”, he said.
According to his media office, Atiku dumped the APC because the party has failed to fulfil most of its campaign promises to Nigerians, most especially the promise of creating 3 million new jobs a year. Atiku also had this to say on why he dumped the APC: “I joined the APC as I had hoped it would be the new force that would help improve life for our people and I was excited about the party’s manifesto to create jobs.
The result has not been the change people had been promised or voted for, as in the last two years almost 3 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. “And today with a record 25% of people aged 18-25 unemployed, I can see how difficult it is for our youths to find a job. The key to creating jobs is a strong economy and that is what we are currently lacking.
“So today I want to let you know that I am returning home to the PDP as the issues that led me to leave it have now been resolved and it is clear that the APC has let the Nigerian people, and especially our young people, down.”
But Makarfi has described as false, the speculations that the party gave special condition or advantage to Atiku to lure him back into the PDP. Makarfi stated this on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the PDP National Convention Planning Committee led by the Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
Making the clarifications, Makarfi said that Atiku never requested for any concession from the National Caretaker Committee as a precondition for his return to the PDP. Makarfi said, “The PDP did not extend any special concession to Atiku and the party will not extend any special concession to any other person. “Atiku never asked us to concede anything to him and we never gave him anything.”
Makarfi went further to douse the fears of PDP members on the possibility of imposing a presidential flag bearer on the party in 2019. “The party members reserves their right to give mandate to anyone they wish to give their mandate to.” The PDP chairman also welcomed the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Ekiti which nullified the judgment of a High Court that would have affected the smooth conduct of National Convention on Saturday.
He added that a particular serving senator from the South West is behind most of the ordeals the party is going through but assured that he will surely face the consequences in due course. Makarfi urged all the aspirants contesting for various offices to continue to go about their campaign with decorum.
In his speech, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin declared that the board is ready to partner with the National Working Committee, Governors Forum and all other stakeholders in the party to ensure the success of the national convention. He urged the party members to “run away” from act that may negatively affect the convention. On the rumour that some BoT has anointed a particular chairmanship candidate, Senator Jubrin declared that the “BoT has no hidden agenda.”
The chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Governor Okowa, in his acceptance Speech, gave assurance that the “electoral process will be free, fair and credible.” Briefing journalists after the inaugural meeting of members of the Central committee with the subcommittees, Okowa warned Presidential and Governorship aspirants to keep their supporters and posters away from the venue.
He said, “For those who want to campaign for the Presidency, this convention is not an opportunity to do that. They will be duly informed when the time comes.” He also advised party members who are not delegates and are not accredited members of any of the committees to stay away from the convention ground as the event will be aired live on the television.
Okowa further informed that about 3000 delegates are expected for the convention in Abuja. In a related development, former National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, has decried the rate at which politicians now result to vote buying during election, saying that such practice may rise up to N5000 per voter in 2019 general elections if unchecked.
Nwanyanwu stated this in Abuja during the unveiling and investiture of a new association, Righteousness In Leadership Initiative (RILIN). The Board of Trustee Chairman of the APDA warned Nigerian voters on the dangers of exchanging their votes with money, telling them not to think the politicians are using the monies received through this means to execute public projects.
The former LP boss said what brought Nigera into where she is now was because there was no righteousness in governance. He said: “In Nigetia today unfortunately most people have been made poor because of lack of righteousness by those they elected to govern their affairs.
“They are keeping that money and on the election days next year it will get to N5000 per vote as we witnessed recently in Anambra, a party paid as much as N2000, and I want to be quoted, another one paid N5000, and in some areas, it was N20,000. “A particular political party paid N20,000 in an area there was a governorship candidate so that he would take their votes, that is lack of righteousness.
There is no God in that calculation. You will have no reason to ask for good governance, after all they bought the votes not with their money but with your money.
“So this initiative is coming at a time that if you market it very well it may touch the hearts of most Nigerians. I am one of the believers, if not a proponent of the fact that there must be some moral content in politics.
“Politics in Nigeria has no moral content. It is in Nigeria that politicians will agree on what to do and they went to bed at 4am but the next morning at 8am, by the time you get there you will discover that most of them have changed position without getting back to you on that agreement. And this has nothing to do with the people of the country.”
He, however expressed confidence that the initiative will bring about transparency, openness, accountability and good governance, “as we are in Nigeria today if we have God in governance, in our body politics Nigerians will not be suffering the way they are suffering.”
Throwing more light on the vision and mandate of the group, Board of Trustees chairman of the group, Pastor Ifiok Sylvester Effiong, said the organisation will act as a platform for generational shift, where God fearing leaders with morality and integrity will be trained, equipped and unleashed on the nation.
“As crusaders of anti corruption, we will ensure that the message of Godly contentment resonate among Nigerians. It is time for some corrupt few among us to jettison stealing and plundering of public funds that is meant for the common good of the generality of Nigerians,” he added.
