A Vote For A Coalition Against Bad Governance And Inept Leadership (4) -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

In this series which I intend to continue and use to make some exposition about Nigerians’ political behavior and voting pattern, I have begun by hailing the move to unseat the obnoxious All Progressives Congress (APC) regime by forming a coalition of different parties and political heavy weights under the aegis of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). I appraised the move as many others did, to be a step in the right direction if the Nigerian state is to move forward and take its rightful space in the comity of nations. I have also tried to highlight some of what I considered to be the teething challenges that the new political platform will face including the sinister plans by the ruling APC to infiltrate their ranks and destabilize them. I have also tried to pin point some of the things the ADC will do in order to effectively challenge and wrestle power from the current Apartheid regime that we have in Nigeria now. And one of the factors I identified is selecting and fielding the most suitable candidate as its presidential flag bearer.

In this respect, I identified His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, GCON, as the most qualified candidate among the political gladiators that formed the new political arrangement to be the standard bearer of the party. This is based on the fact that Atiku is the most experienced having been held the second highest office in the country from 1999 to 2007 and having garnered over forty years’ experience in partisan politics with many innumerable sacrifices and contributions for the restoration, growth and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. Atiku has the pedigree and track record of performance in public service aside from being a successful business mogul. He has the charisma to lead and influence others, the attribute he has demonstrated over the years from his PDM to the PDP era. He has the clout and the demonstrable ability to challenge, confront and tell truth to power. This he has done since the military regime period. The former Nigerian number two citizen is a statesman and a patriot. His sense of patriotism is visible and unquestionable. He is completely detribalized. He sees every part of the country as his home. He married from different parts of the country and has investments in every part of the country. Because of his leadership skills and empathy, he has followership and allies across the nation and hence the appellation bridge-builder attached to his name.

I believe that general acceptability should be used as a criterion to select the rightful candidate given the multicultural nature of the country. And if this is done, the Wazirin Adamawa will stand out above the other contenders to the position of presidential candidate of the party for he is generally accepted in every nook and cranny of the country. Added to this is the fact that he has the political structures (not the social media warriors) that will work to ensure victory at the polls.

Furthermore, Atiku’s political philosophy that is anchored on service and patriotism is a big plus for the Jada-born political guru. Like most politicians from the North East Region, he believes in politics without bitterness. He believes the purpose of leadership and governance is service to the people. And to him the people and the nation should be given precedence over personal ambition. That was why he stepped down for MKO Abiola in 1993 election and fought to revalidate the annulled June 12 Election despite the fact that Abiola betrayed him in the build-up to the vexed election. And for the same reason, he shunned personal gains to work against the Third Agenda of Obasanjo in 2006. Atiku is seen as a blessing to the political class, an inspiration to the youths and an advocate for the masses. He is a liberal politicians whose interest is primarily for the peace and progress of the nation. He believes that national interest should override regional interest too and that is why he is the leading advocate for the restructuring of the nation against the opposition from the Northern political bloc where he belongs.

In 2017, he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which he is a foundation member when he notice that the new political amalgam has a become an platform of corruption and a place for political pettifoggers. Now he has left the PDP to a new political forum because the APC warlocks have used Nyesom Wike to destroy the party. So, his movement to the ADC should not be misinterpreted as those in the APC has done. To me, it is the most reasonable thing to do in this circumstance. Wike is a mole in the party and as long as he remains in the party, nothing will ever in there for it is obvious that he is working for the moribund APC regime. So, Atiku’s movement is borne out of his patriotic desire to work for the interest of rescuing the nation from the stranglehold of the APC regime.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK