Atiku, a Cheating Wife

 By  Phil Tam-Al Alalibo

 On May 29, 1999 when Obasanjo and Atiku declared to the world their political love for each other, it was a moment of celebration, a moment of political bliss and euphoria. It appeared to be a political marriage made in heaven. In fact, Atiku was so "in love" with Obasanjo that he had to abandon another "man", Adamawa, for the president. As we will recall, Atiku was elected governor of Adamawa before he was exalted to the vice presidency position. The union was sealed in the full glare of the international community at Eagle Square in Abuja . It was well attended by dignitaries from around the globe, like a princely wedding, many showering adoration and accolades on the duo. They promised to lead by example and with that the journey began. But after the honeymoon was over, trouble began in the Obasanjo-Atiku political household and that, indeed, has festered to the point of divorce.

Today, Obasanjo, the aggrieved "husband" received bad news as his divorce was denied by an Abuja Appeals Court on the grounds that he cannot sack his political wife even as the record indicated that "she" had stepped out of the union and joined the household of another "man", the Action Congress. Obasanjo is a very disappointed man, he is bitter and furious, several weeks ago; he shopped for a replacement. He looked at Senator Jibril Aminu, Atiku’s kinsman as a possible replacement, but somehow Aminu did not fit the bill. He even asked Yar’ Adua, the PDP presidential candidate, if he wanted the job, the man turned him down and asked him to reconcile with Atiku. Obasanjo, far from being a loving 'husband" in this regard, has left no stones unturned in his wicked and often illegal effort to tarnish Atiku's image. He has branded him “a disloyal deputy” and has apologized to God and the nation for making him his deputy. He has accused him of the highest crime in the land, treason, and promised to arrest him should the courts grant his request.

{mosgoogle right}Atiku, like a cheating and utterly unfaithful wife has since offered his services to the highest bidder. Here is a power-hungry politician who will stop at nothing to become the president of Nigeria . And why does he have this obsession? In the meantime, he is completely devoid of vision and unaware of how to move the country forward. In a “Youtube” video, Atiku, barely able to gather his thoughts could only state the normal nomenclature that has become the hallmark of politicians with no platform. “…we are going for a prosperous (which he pronounced prospros) Nijayria and we will make it great again.” But let us ask some probing questions - how can Nigeria be great when he spends a month in the US in a million-dollar mansion bought while in office? Will he make Nigeria great by remote control or by proxy? How can he make Nigeria great when he spends all his time in the court fighting his boss? How can he make Nigeria great when he has not worked for the people in months as he exchanges words with his boss? Can Nigeria be great without responsible leadership?

If Atiku truly cares about Nigeria and democracy, as claimed, he ought to have resigned months ago when governance became impossible as a result of the squabble between him and the president. As a leader, he ought to have put the interest of the nation before his and if that meant forfeiting his presidential ambition, so be it.  Let it be noted well that Atiku’s fight with Obasanjo is not borne out of love for democracy, but out of an ingrain self-serving motivation to become the president of Nigeria by all cost. Atiku had all to gain if Obasanjo did not seek a third term. By seeking a third term, Obasanjo was delaying his coronation. Thus, he saw him as a stumbling block in this quest, one that must be extricated by all means. Now, hiding behind the cloak of his opposition to a third term bid, (which we must state was not the genesis of his troubles with the president as claimed), he is climbing the pulpit of sainthood and preaching the gospel of democracy. But if we may ask, what qualifies him to be president of Nigeria ? What great strides has he occasioned for the country as vice president? What is his legacy and does he have any vision for the country above and beyond “We will move Nigjayria forward?” Atiku will be remembered as the quarreling vice president and as a politician who put his conceded ego and interest above those of the country. He will be remembered as a politician who spoke from both sides of his mouth – the man simply cannot have his cake and eat it too. He will be remembered as a politician, who, along with his boss, presided over anarchy for the better part of his tenure. Spiro Agnew, President Richard Nixon’s vice president resigned once it became evident that his continued stay in power was a distraction to the noble and often tedious chore of governance. In the interest of the American people, in the interest of democracy and good governance, Agnew resigned to allow the business of governance to continue – the principle behind this and not the reason for his resignation should be foremost here.

But Atiku, seeing the destructive politics he is engaged in with the president continues to stay on, a brand of politics that has not given the country any form of responsible leadership. Is he afraid of EFCC's arrest if he resigns thus, losing immunity? Is that why he is holding on? Indeed, let both Atiku and Obasanjo be shamed for their disgraceful conduct and lack of leadership. Let them be shamed for bringing such disrepute to the country before the international community. Let them be shamed for tarnishing the image of the presidency. Let them be utterly shamed for retarding the country’s progress. What development has emanated from their squabble? How many jobs has it created? How many lives has it lifted? Has it cleaned the environment? Has it equipped the hospitals and schools; has it built roads and airports? Does Atiku hope to govern Nigeria with such shameless display of pathetic leadership? What is exceedingly ironic is the fact that he has even accused the PDP, a party on whose platform he rose to power of being “evil”. This is indeed laughable, even pathetic and questions aplenty his character. Did he just happen to discover this fact Nigerians have known all along when he was part of that “evil”? Atiku cannot brand a government evil and continue to be part of it. What is he doing in an "evil" government? Any principled and self-respecting politician would have resigned from that "evil" government to preserve his dignity.

It is hypocritical as it is irresponsible for Atiku to throw stones at the PDP when he was part of its “axis of evil” for close to eight years – how can such a political prostitute be taken seriously then? How can he now extricate himself from the mess that is the PDP and inculpate others? What will he say of the AC, his current party, when another comes knocking? Atiku, has proven to be an opportunist; here is a man who sidelined others that labored for the party for months and collected the AC presidential ticket, coming in from the outside without paying his dues. What manner of leadership is this? But Atiku is not alone; he is joined by Buhari and Yar’Adua, all of whom are utterly clueless when it comes to leadership. Buhari claims he is now a born again democrat since he witnessed the Soviet Union collapsed without a single shot being fired in 1991. A born again what? Buhari is now seeking the benefit of democracy when as military head of state he had no agenda for democracy. Here is a man who has been jobless since August 17, 1985 when he was thrown out of Dodan Barracks by Babangida vying to govern Nigeria; only in Nigeria can the jobless aspire to be president and have a realistic chance of getting it; here is a man who stated that Moslems should vote for only those who can protect their faith, here is an intolerant and religious bigot, a northern Muslim head of state from Katsina appointing another “almost” northern Muslim to be his deputy; a feat not even ascribed to the doltish and grossly incompetent Abacha, no less Babangida. Need I mention his execution of three drug dealers tried under a law enacted well after they had committed their crimes? Indeed, a born again democrat.

And Obasanjo should stop his vindictive persecution of Atiku; it is witch-hunting and does not serve the interest of the nation. He should leave Atiku alone, even in his new master's fold. Obasanjo should be called to order and it appears the courts are doing just that. Every time Atiku steps in court, judgment is always in his favor; but while Atiku spends his money to fight Obasanjo in court, Obasanjo spends the peoples’ money and resources to keep him there; and this is a battle Atiku cannot win. His presidency has now been defined by his squabble with Atiku and any achievements during his tenure (I doubt of there are any) would certainly go unnoticed. Where does this leave the Nigerian people? How do the Nigerian people gain from this juvenile shenanigan that has encapsulated grown men who have decided to behave like children? Both men are part of the Nigerian problem and the sooner Nigerians get rid of them, collectively, the better off they would be, for the sake of democracy and progress.

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Author can be reached @ alalibo@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 21.02.2007 01:40

DoubleWahala  Villager

# 2 In seven paragraphs, Al Alalibo manages to say what he could have disposed of in one sentence; that OBJ and Atiku are birds of the same disturbing feather. Abi no be so? This would have been down-right amusing, or hilarious, if not that it was written by Dr. Phil! :lol: I think this article was penned when the author was feeling a bit lazy, otherwise, I don't see how an otherwise brilliant, insightful and witty Alalibo could recylce this trash, regurgitate and pass it off as original thought. He writes: Atiku will be remembered as the quarreling vice president and as a politician who put his conceded ego and interest above those of the country. He will be remembered as a politician who spoke from both sides of his mouth – the man simply cannot have his cake and eat it too. He will be remembered as a politician, who, along with his boss, presided over anarchy for the better part of his tenure. In your bile, spewing forth from your keyboard, you forgot that whether the principal actors (OBJ & Atiku) realise it or not, by their very acts of commission or omission, they, are, ironically, strengthening the foundations of democracy in our country. It is called the law of unintended consequences. I could start analyzing many of the pros and cons of the OBJ-Atiku imbrogilo, situating it in a wider context of our country's perilous path to true nationhood. But heck, you're the one that wants to post 'articles' at the Square, so you should at least go through the trouble of serving-up a higher level of analysis than this....this thing you posted here. Look, Phil, please take the time to do a more considered write-up next time. I usually expect more from you. DW Posted by DoubleWahala| 21.02.2007 02:35

Abraxas  Villager

# 3 .....by their very acts of commission or omission, they, are, ironically, strengthening the foundations of democracy in our country. It is called the law of unintended consequences. Hi, folks! Indeed, The Law of Unintended Consequences is fully at play in Nigeria today: (1) Nigerians have started to question the hidden agenda of their so-called leaders, particularly the presumptuousness of their military elite. (2) The Nigerian political elite have commenced to self-destruct, even within the ruling party, PDP. (3) Insurgents now dictate the plausibility or otherwise of a CNN broadcast, with subsequent confirmation by the Nigerian government: Frank Nweke (Jr.) confirms statements by General Jomo Gbomo of MEND concerning CNN report on the Niger Delta. (4) Even the godsons and goddaughters of the godfathers and godmothers are afraid of themselves: e.g. Odili Vs. Ibori; Yar'Adu Vs. Odili; Odili Vs. Obasanjo; Obasanjo Vs Daniel; Obasanjo Vs. Babangida; Buhari Vs. Atiku; etc. (5) The high frequency of abduction EVEN with MOPOL escorts, is a stark reminder of the hollowness of the security services provided by Nigeria's inept military and police personnel. (6) The superior fire power of the insurgents against Nigerian government forces, despite significant defense budget provisions is very revealing. (7) The face-off between OBJ and Atiku sadly confirms a very shameful event in contemporary Nigeria: that General Okikiolakan Olusegun Obasanjo ACTUALLY, and SHAMELESSLY, had sufficient megalomania in him that he really contemplated perpetuating himself in office, under the euphemistic cover of "Third Term". What a pity! Muchas gracias. Don Juan Carlos ABRAXAS (III) Posted by Abraxas| 21.02.2007 03:20

planet1899  Villager

# 4 DW, what is your problem....this is another masterpiece from Phil....it is well-written and outlines the demerits of the fight between both men.... What did you smoke before providing your feeback.....please stay awy from such so you can appreciate good articles such as this. Posted by planet1899| 21.02.2007 07:56

truthsayer33  Villager

# 5 I don't buy this Atiku is a buffoon scenario.....he financed OBJ's rehabilitation....allowed him to run for second term against the advice of the northern mafia but OBJ got greedy and wanted 3rd term.Atiku the ***** keeps winning court cases, what does that make OBJ? I can't wait for the film 'Nigeria and the lootocracy' Posted by truthsayer33| 21.02.2007 08:42

lumidii  Villager

# 6 He should leave Atiku alone, even in his new master's fold. Obasanjo should be called to order and it appears the courts are doing just that. Every time Atiku steps in court, judgment is always in his favor; but while Atiku spends his money to fight Obasanjo in court, Obasanjo spends the peoples’ money and resources to keep him there; and this is a battle Atiku cannot win. His presidency has now been defined by his squabble with Atiku and any achievements during his tenure (I doubt of there are any) would certainly go unnoticed. Where does this leave the Nigerian people? How do the Nigerian people gain from this juvenile shenanigan that has encapsulated grown men who have decided to behave like children? Atiku spending his own money? Which one? Goodness me! Is it the one he realised from his investment in "BUY TO LET MORTGAGE" in the seventies? or the one stolen from dodgy deals in PENTASCOPE? MOFAS? I-GATE? Let us know which one exactly. And please there are some noticeable achievements, we do have a very short memory as Nigerians. Let's criticise with reason, and objectively. No doubt it is a show of shame that they have exhibited, but i think we are at least availed the opportunity of knowing the inner workings of the mind of the men we have elected into power. Posted by lumidii| 21.02.2007 10:16

Knightofdelta  Villager

# 7 @Double Wahala Na wa oo! Na wetin be dis one na?? Pesin write something na so so criticism say im writeup no dey insightful? Maybe I am still new to the village, that is why I did not get your point. Methink that Alalibo has written a concise summary of what this whole recycled old politicians stand for and what we expect if we retain our defeatist attitude and not rigorosly vote them out with what we have. As far as I am concerned all of them have wronged me personally and whatever writeup is written against them is to my utmost pleasure and I will not stand and look to see them torn to pieces by someone who has refused to write something of his own. Posted by Knightofdelta| 21.02.2007 11:47

DoubleWahala  Villager

# 8 =planet1899;156780>DW, what is your problem....this is another masterpiece from Phil....it is well-written and outlines the demerits of the fight between both men.... What did you smoke before providing your feeback.....please stay awy from such so you can appreciate good articles such as this. Bros, look at it this way: I'm certainly not smoking what you're obviously smoking. :D @Knightofdelta Please, read Abraxas' post, just after my initial post, and maybe you'll begin to understand. DW Posted by DoubleWahala| 21.02.2007 13:25

planet1899  Villager

# 9 DW, I am now convinced that you need some clinical help. I will begin a fund raising drive to help p Posted by planet1899| 21.02.2007 13:30

MrOneNaija  Villager

# 10 WHAT A NEEDLESS PIECE OF TRASH! I must also add my voice to the argument that the initiating article of this thread is trash. Its castigation of V-P Atiku is needlessly daft to the extent that it fails or rather pretends not to understand why Atiku is right to stay in his position, that is, if for nothing else, to prevent Obasanjo from realizing his devilish "term elongation" scheme. It speaks volumes for any educated individual to ignore the fact that it is Obasanjo who brought his conflict with Atiku into the public domain. V-P Atiku has displayed a lot of restraint and finesse faced with the crude, unprovoked assaults against his person by the Aso Rock hedonist, Baba Okikiolakan and his henchmen in the likes of Bode Goerge and Ahmadu Ali. It smacks of pure mischief on the part of the author of the above article when he seeks to demonize Atiku regarding the latter's victimization at the hands of Nigeria's Caligula. But by far the most egregious transgression by the author of the balderdash above is his uncalled-for attack against the ANPP candidate, retired General Buhari. In an indolent rehash of the 2003 PDP-initiated propaganda against the Buhari/Okadigbo ticket, the author of this inane outburst has scurrilously ranted about a supposed Islamist bent of Buhari. This type of falsehood has cast a serious shadow of doubt on the perspicacity as well as objectivity of the writer. The point has to be made that the resort to cheap stereotyping and pandering to primordial loyalties on the part of the author and his ilk will not help the political ambition of their imaginary candidate for the Nigerian presidency which they are too cowardly to openly mention. Posted by MrOneNaija| 21.02.2007 13:35

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