Atiku’s journey towards infamy, by Kola Amzat

Four months ahead of the 2027 polls, Turaki Adamawa’s presidency bid is already in tatters. The much vaunted long-term aspiration to rule the country might have once again gone up in flames.

All indications point to a crushing defeat for the ex-vice president during the forthcoming presidential polls. Suddenly, Atiku has found himself in limbo, literally operating in his own world.

The spent force politicians with whom he gleefully hijacked ADC have embarrassingly come to realization that the former custom boss simply hoodwinked them into an unholy alliance, as his main objective is to deploy the hijacked party as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to ascend power and authority.

Tactfully, they’re withdrawing. Where is David Mark? Where are the likes of Dele Momodu, Bolaji Abdulahi, Rauf Aregbesola and others?

Their voices are gone! They’re drowned inside the perfectly orchestrated Atiku’s ambition to lead the country by hook or crook.

They’ve suddenly realized that they’ve been locked up in Turaki’s ‘one chance’ bus and coming out has become practically impossible. For them to display that degree of crass ignorance and less-discerning intuitiveness, they’re compelled to remain in that ill-fated ‘bus’ until after 2027 polls are over.    

It’s particularly tragic for David Bonaventure Mark who was supposed to know better. Mark-a retired Brigadier General with an exemplary and distinguished career in Nigerian Army; a career spanning state administrations as military administrator, and even Communication Minister, and undoubtedly one of the widely-acknowledged power brokers and kitchen cabinet member in Buhari, as well as famed &  imperial regimes of IBB and Abacha, and later, very distinguished political stint of about 20 years in Upper Chamber, eight of which was as president of senate, allowed himself to be cheaply and embarrassingly lured and cajoled by chicanery and megalomaniac Atiku Abukar by accepting to be Chairman of a forcefully hijacked party.

The former senate president ought to have known that the journey wouldn’t be salutary.

However, there is no pity for the likes of Amaechi, Momodu, Abdulahi, Aregbesola and others who are just political hangers’-on, desperately seeking political relevance.

In recent Nigeria political history, no-one has become a subject of scorn, ridicule and derision than the ex-vice president for issues that are simply inglorious, reprehensible and unworthy of a leader who was once a second in command in Nigerian power equation, and who has consecutively aspired to lead the country five times, even though unsuccessful in his bids.

I invite teeming readers to painstakingly follow the sequence of Nigerian key political personalities’ remarks and comments on Atiku Abubakar.

A former Secretary to the Government of Federation, Babachir Lawal recently urged Nigerians not to support the former vice president’s 2027 presidency bid, accusing him of pursuing ethnic and religious interests rather than national developments.

He further questioned Atiku’s suitability for the topmost office, labelling him ineptocracy Kachalla.

FCT Minister, Wike Nyesom recently branded the Turaki Adamawa as habitual election contestant with absolutely nothing to show for his continuous and repeated bids. He further declared that Atiku is unelectable and would never win the presidential election.

Below is former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, one of the most influential of his living peer’s remarks on Atiku:

“How can I be on the same page with Atiku?” Obasanjo asked. “And to do what”

“If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes. But, once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support, he added”

“On political ground, my position has not changed. If I support Atiku for a political office other than the one I supported in the past when I did not know him” maybe, but not now that I know him, God will not forgive me”

Barely a week ago, Obasanjo also remarked on Atiku-“He gave Ghali Naaba ₦5million to begin his impeachment work against me” It was all noted, reported to me by my Chief of Staff, a professional intelligence officer”

Aforementioned are all sincere and indisputable remarks and submissions of very prominent Nigerians and key figures in the country’s political sphere.

In the face of these overwhelming and very damaging remarks, how on earth could Atiku aspires to lead the country?

Meanwhile, in his desperation to become president, Atiku has crossed the line several times with his unsavory submissions about the president and present administration, continually branding Tinubu as the most incompetent and anti-people president in Nigeria democratic history, remarks that fell flat on the face of the government multifaceted reforms that has facilitated impressive economic turnaround with a continued impressive trade surplus, foreign reserves that presently stands at $52.33 billion, NGX that has crossed ₦150 trillion mark –indication of solid trust and confidence of local and foreign investors in the nation economy, and of course, humongous savings from fuel subsidy removal that have made possible huge monthly allocations to the three tiers of government, a tremendous development that has necessitated springing up of infrastructural facilities, medical and educational improvement, technological and digital architecture, as well as improvement in social facilities all across the country.

There are other milestones that have been recorded in roads and rail infrastructures, healthcare, social investment scheme, education, even security etc that for want of space would not be subject of this piece.  

Meanwhile, Atiku’s most vicious and despicable attempt to embarrass the country was his recent orchestrated attempt to subordinate the country sovereignty to undue foreign influence.

He simply contracted an American lobbying firm-Von Batten-Montague-York for a whopping $1.2million for the heinous project?

What’s the mandate given to the firm?

To exhume an already dead case with specific reference to a spurious allegation concerning the incumbent president on his alleged involvement in a drug-related trafficking investigation in 80’s and 90’s.

Meanwhile, Nigerians vividly recollect that the case was a subject of litigation before the 2023 Presidential Election Panel where Atiku rendered a submission that the former Lagos state governor ought to have been disqualified from the presidential race consequent upon the forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States court, and with the PEPC finally adjudicated that Atiku woefully failed to establish that the former Lagos state governor was ever convicted for any criminal offence in that regards.

For Atiku, this proverbial statement suffices- “He who lives in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones”

Atiku’s many financial scandals and infractions are well documented.

Nigerians fondly remember a celebrated case bordering on how Atiku deployed offshore companies to export suspicious funds that included alleged graft from multinationals into the U.S, a highbrow financial scandal that entangled Jennifer Douglas, an ex-vice president’s girlfriend.

Nigerian people would not forget in hurry the 2009 conviction of a U.S congressman, William Jefferson for demanding bribes from foreign corporate chieftains in respect of key and profitable technology and communications business ventures in Nigeria. Atiku Abubakar was significantly implicated in this inglorious transactions.

Which other revelations can we make about insatiable greed, avarice and selfish motives of this serial contender for nation presidency?

How can Nigeria forget Atiku’s unpatriotic role as Chairman of the National Privatization, especially his rapacious swooping and cornering of several nation’s assets and symbolic monuments to his private estate, and with many sold to cronies and proxies?

On a related note, in 2006, he was alleged by ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo to have grossly mismanaged humongous funds meant for Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), a development that made him a subject of senate panel of enquiry and later got him branded as unworthy public servant that woefully failed test of integrity and trust.

This is the same politician who has been running helter skelter across the country, wandering like nomadic Fulani herdsmen in the last five election cycles, making relentless and unwavering attempts to hoodwink Nigerians to give him mandate to lead the country.

This writer would like to declare in clear terms that the Nigerian presidency is not for double-faced, small minded, propagandist, purveyor of lies & falsehood, ethnic jingoist and religious irredentist and spent force politicians with a notorious history of financial scandals and infractions against the country.

Rather, the country leadership is meant for genuine, sincere, authentic leader, well tested & trusted, visionary, focused, patriotic, brave, decisive and witty with robust vibrant blue-print that encompasses short, medium and long term strategic initiatives capable of solving the multidimensional challenges in our nation, and ultimately launch the country to a new era of growth, development and more importantly, prosperity.

Nigeria presently has that leadership in Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who has more than ticked all the boxes.

It’s therefore auspicious time that Atiku and his ilk stop this distraction, melodrama, mischief and subterfuge that would never advance their cause, but rather continually make them objects of scorn, derision and public opprobrium.                                                       

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB, FCTI, MBA, Bsc )

Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,

09077509348.