Predictably, Atiku Abubakar’s emergence as presidential flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 elections is generating reactions from vested interests across Nigeria. They vary from outright rejection of his victory by some of the platforms to overwhelming acceptance by some others. Although those rejecting him are reacting to a done deal, their stance might be at the core of a threat to seek court interpretation of the position of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in throwing open the contest for the presidency.
A statement that is not signed by Governor Wike but already widely circulating says the next highest scorer to Atiku Abubakar at last Saturday’s primaries would seek court interpretation whether the decision of the National Working Committee of the PDP throwing open the contest to all parts of the country could stand without a formal amendment of the provision of the Constitution of the PDP on zoning. If the threat is true, it means the Rivers State governor is not available to take the Vice-Presidency were he to be offered the position by Atiku. The two have been meeting earlier today, (Monday, May 30th, 2022 in Abuja).
That is to say the totality of the positions that will build up to the possibility or otherwise of an Atiku Presidency are forming. In other words, all rejectionist stands are significant in terms of the discursive constitution of power.
Engineer Mohammed Abba-Gana
So far, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo as well as the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum have said a categorical ‘No’ to Atiku’s victory. From the Northeast, however, comes a symbolically significant nod for Atiku who hails from that geopolitical axis. Engineer Mohammed Abba-Gana, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a member of the Board of Trustees of the party is calling Atiku’s victory a convincing and honourable one and congratulating him for it.
The former FCT Minister said in a statement that Atiku’s victory is, in reality, a confirmation of his “well-known capacity, ability and competence in leadership position, sound networking and management of Nigeria’s complex society, politics, culture, religion, ethnicity and tradition.
“Your ability to make and keep reliable friends and associates in every state, ethnic group, tribe and religion and your positive persistence and perseverance made you the great leader, tactician and politician of our time’, said Abba-Gana, followed by his request to God to give the candidate long life and good health and as Presidential candidate of their party, the PDP, in relation to another honourable and convincing victory in the 2023 Presidential election.
“Although I am close to eighty (80) years in age now, your laudable and statesmanlike declarations and initiative during your victory speech regarding uniting various tendencies in our great party PDP and also uniting our presently highly divided country deserve the unconditional support of all well-meaning Nigerians and friends of Nigeria”, Abba-Gana further stated, assuring Atiku of his physical presence in some of the campaign activities in states like Borno and Yobe as well as FCT, “depending on the state of my health”.
Engineer Abba-Gana concluded his statement with “Well done our Wazirin Adamawa and leader”.
The overall emotive commitment of the Engineer Abba-Ganas of this world to the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar suggests the Northeast avalanche that might be forming and be decisive in what becomes of Atiku’s ambition. The Northeast, like the Southeast, has been struggling to produce a Nigerian leader after the demise of the first and last Prime Minister of Nigeria from that part of the country. It has not materialized and, as it is, Atiku Abubakar seems to be the closest to that, depending though on who wins All Progressives Congress, (APC)’s ticket. If Abba-Gana who has been and remains a radical or progressive politician from his youth would close the ideological gap between him and Atiku, it is logical to infer that many others would do so, thereby producing a Northeast bandwagon. It remains to be seen.
The plausible Northeast bandwagon is, however, not the drumbeat coming from the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Southern/Middle Belt Leaders Forum and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), each of which rejects the outcome.
According to Ohanaeze Ndigbo in a statement signed by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General, nobody would be taking the risk of campaigning for Atiku in the East since the PDP, according to him, is now a regional northern political party. “Atiku will not have Igbos support him in 2023”, said the statement in which it is also asserted that he cannot be the President of Nigeria in 2023.
Promising opposition to Atiku Abubakar in the South-East, the statement adds how Ndigbo would rise against PDP and Atiku Abubakar as a prize for the party’s alleged ingratitude and dishonesty against Igbos and for which no Igbo could possibly be championing Atiku’s Presidency in the East.
The statement argued a scheming out of Igbos in the PDP presidential primaries, saying that the PDP has, to that extent, become a party for the Northern region, hinging this on Dr. Iyorchia Ayu being the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Walid Jubril as Chairperson of the party’s Board of Trustees, (BOT) and Atiku Abubakar as 2023 PDP Presidential candidate. Adding Senator David Mark’s Chairing of the screening process, the statement avers that the PDP has fulfilled her threats to sideline the Igbo in 2023 and “we will carefully answer back to them”.
In the case of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum, the charge is perpetuation of hegemony of the North for the successor of President Buhari, a Muslim from the North and of Fulani origin to be another Muslim northerner after the eight years.
The leaders declared in a communiqué its total rejection of the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and “calls on our people of southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, as well as all true lovers of peace and unity not to vote for him or any other northerner in the 2023 presidential election, in the interest of posterity”. The leaders are equally asking all politicians of southern extraction to refuse the position of a running mate to any northern presidential candidate which it said would be viewed as subjugating their people to political slavery.
According to the leaders, certain candidates from the North were pressured, coerced, and even intimidated to step down for the former Vice- President to win but which they see as being in utter derision of the established principle of zoning and rotation of power between the North and South.
Taking the same ethno-regional position is Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) which is saying that it would be terrible for the economy if a bribe-induced candidate is elected Nigeria’s President, a reference to the heavy bribing of delegates by contending presidential aspirants at the PDP’s primaries on May 28th, 2022 in Abuja.
But, beyond that is HURIWA’s contention that the decision of the PDP to retain its presidential candidate in the north is a regrettable step that won’t bring stability, peace and unity in Nigeria. It is, therefore, warning the APC against fielding a candidate of northern origin, saying that such would signpost “the end of Nigeria as a UNITED COUNTRY”
“HURIWA urges the APC to give its ticket to the South-East or at least the Southern region so as to preserve the unity of Nigeria or else if APC goes North like PDP, it is a vote of no confidence on the continuous existence of Nigeria”, said the statement.
There is no knowing how far these rigid ethno-regional binaries would go. What is worth noting is how Atiku and Nyesom Wike, the next highest scorer to Atiku have been meeting in Abuja contrary to the ‘directive’ of the SMBLF. Those who infer that the rigid posturing might be no more than hard bargaining positions might, therefore, not be far off the mark.
