Former presidential spokesman,
Reuben Abati, has declared that Atiku Abubakar’s selection of Peter Obi as his
running mate for the 2019 election was a right choice.
He also said the public
endorsement by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo had put the camp of
President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in disarray.
Atiku emerged the presidential
candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on October 7 at the party’s
national convention in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
In an article titled Atiku and
the Rise of Peter Obi, Abati said the businessman has proven himself to be an
astute politician and leader.
Shortly after former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar became the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) on October 6, party members and other stakeholders began to recommend
running mates for him and a short list began to feature on the front pages of
Nigerian newspapers. Some of the names that were mentioned included former
Governor Peter Obi, former CEO/Managing Director, Assets Management Company of
Nigeria (AMCON) - Mustapha Chike-Obi, former Minister of Agriculture and AfDB
President - Akin Adesina, former Minister of Finance and Supervising Minister
of the Economy - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former CBN Governor -Charles Soludo, and
Deputy Senate President - Ike Ekweremadu.
For about five days, there were
theories and permutations, and a comparison of the credentials of the proposed
running mates. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has acted pro-actively by
quickly putting an end to the speculations. He met with the party leadership,
consulted with other interest groups and promptly announced Peter Obi. If this
is a sign of how he intends to run Nigeria if he becomes President, then he is
off to a good start. In the past week, he
also did something else that was clever. He made peace with his former boss,
President Olusegun Obasanjo. He asked for Obasanjo’s blessings and Obasanjo,
wearing his hat as a seasoned political pragmatist and ebora strategist,
endorsed Atiku.
The speech delivered by Obasanjo
on that occasion is an elegant study in the art of being important. President Obasanjo said he has forgiven Atiku
for his many sins, which he Obasanjo had complained about previously. He
described him as someone who has a knowledge of business, who is less
inflexible and a “Wazobia” man. There were subtle digs at the incumbent
President Muhammadu Buhari, when Obasanjo advised Atiku not to recruit only
kith and kin and try to run an inclusive government. In the same speech,
Obasanjo reminded Atiku of his indebtedness to the Obasanjo legacy and the need
to sustain that legacy. He also set an agenda for the man he described as
Nigeria’s President-to-be. He even said “Insha Allah”. Obasanjo in that
well-composed speech, practically killed many birds with one stone in many incantatory
voices: boss, statesman, and letter-writer.
It was Atiku’s second biggest
endorsement since he got his party’s ticket – the first being his victory in
Port Harcourt. Obasanjo’s endorsement is particularly significant given the
history of the relationship between both men. To add that Obasanjo has voice,
influence and authority is to state the obvious, and we need to tell those who
argue that Obasanjo has just one vote that they are politically dumb! Atiku’s
boss has given him a new testimonial that has refurbished him. Obasanjo who
once tore his membership card of the PDP, has also more or less re-oxygenated
the party’s Presidential aspiration. The panic that this has caused in the
Buhari camp is perfectly understandable even if the resort to name-calling and
abuse by the President’s foot-soldiers may be counter-productive in the long
run. It won’t make Obasanjo and his associates change their mind. Atiku’s gain
is Buhari’s loss.
Then came the rise of Peter Obi…
Without a doubt, all the persons on the shortlist of running mates for Atiku
have relative strengths. They have all proven their mettle in the public arena.
But with Peter Obi already chosen, we need not indulge in any detailed
comparison except to note that very important to the selection process would
have been, not just geo-politics, but also such factors as the temperament of
the individual, the chemistry between the principal and the deputy, electoral
value, international exposure, acceptability by key stakeholders and public
persona.
My take is that former Governor
of Anambra State, Peter Obi is bound to strengthen the chances of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in the scheduled 2019 Presidential elections. He will
prove to be an asset to the Atiku campaign and also to the Nigerian government
if the PDP wins the Presidential election. The announcement of his name has
generated so much excitement in Igboland, particularly in his home state of
Anambra where people broke out in dancing jigs at beer parlours, and free
drinks were declared. Across the South East, his Igbo kinsmen are also
similarly excited. Those who know him in politics and business attest to his
good character, self-discipline, competence and fair-mindedness. I want to
congratulate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for choosing wisely and I want to disagree
with those who argue that the Presidential candidate of the PDP should have
chosen his running mate from the South Western part of the country.
The choice of a running mate of
Igbo extraction is a politically deft move. The last time Igbos held the number
2 position in a civilian government was way back in the Second Republic (1979
-83). Since the return to civilian rule
in 1999, they have either been Senate President or heads of key agencies (under
President Obasanjo) or Deputy Senate President and generally junior operatives
(under President Buhari) or held critical Ministerial positions or headship of
agencies and departments –indeed the entire economic sector (under President
Jonathan). But Ndigbo’s main interest is the big job: the Presidency of
Nigeria. The choice of Peter Obi and his likely emergence as Vice President of
Nigeria brings Igbos much closer to consideration for Presidency either in 2023
or 2027. For a people who believe that they have been short-changed by other Nigerians
and that the civil war has not actually ended, the possibility of one of their
own returning to the Presidency, 35 years after Ekwueme, is bound to promote a
sense of belonging. By choosing an Igbo
man, Atiku is also exploiting prevailing sentiments in Igboland. The average
Igbo, either in the South East or in diaspora, is certainly not impressed by
the Buhari administration.
The circumstances of Operation
Crocodile Tears and the crushing of the rebellion of the Indigenous Peoples of
Biafra Movement (IPOB), pitched Igbos against Buhari. Atiku is seeking to bring
them back into the fold. Call it opportunism, but that is politics. A Yoruba
running mate would have looked like the Buhari template. Atiku also probably
knows that the Yoruba in the South West do not always vote as a bloc and that
the South West is far more divided today than ever. The electoral value of the Yoruba man,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who is Buhari’s running mate for now, except he
changes him, lies more in his being part of a political group in the South
West, and right now, even that group is divided, it has lost part of its grip,
and its leader is fighting many political battles of his own. An Igbo running
mate can guarantee bloc Igbo voting, in Igboland and from Igbos who are all
over Nigeria. The votes may not necessarily be for Peter Obi as a person but
for the Igbo nationalistic interest.
I say this because I have heard
some people say Peter Obi may not even be able to deliver Anambra. I say to
such persons that even the incumbent Governor of Anambra, Willie Obiano of
APGA, who has issues with Peter Obi, or David Umahi, Ebonyi Governor (PDP) and
Chairman of the South East Governors Forum, would dread being found out to be
working against the possibility of an Igbo man emerging again as Vice President
of Nigeria. In terms of political strategy, it can be taken for granted that
the South South, still angry over how the Buhari government has treated
President Goodluck Jonathan and others from that region, will also naturally
vote en masse against Buhari. Technically, Atiku may have locked down the South
South and the South East and can be sure of substantial votes from the South
West where his promise of restructuring resonates well with the socio-cultural
and political elite.
But why Peter Obi? Obi, Governor
of Anambra State for eight years, survivor of election battles, has proven
himself to be an astute politician and leader. As Governor, he blocked the
leaky buckets. He reduced wastages and leakages. He led by example. He served
the people. He left a healthy balance behind in the treasury. He was known
across the South East as Peter the Rock or Okwute, and he more than any other
former Governor has spent his time out of office, to prepare himself for a
bigger role in Nigeria. He didn’t disappear from the radar. He didn’t take the
option of going to the Senate which has become a retirement home for former
Governors who go there to sleep and snore during plenary and collect heavy
retirement benefits for saying nothing.
Peter Obi returned to school. He
chose the lecture circuit where he shared his experience as Governor with
Nigerians, mostly young Nigerians. He was always on point: he preached good
governance, prudence, accountability and gave personal examples. He granted the media access to him and he
granted interviews as frequently as he could. He became an analyst and
something slightly close to being a public intellectual. He built a public
persona as someone who understands business, politics, the economy and
governance. He attended international programmes and built a network of
contacts. He was my course mate at the
Said Business School, University of Oxford and I can attest that he can hold
his own confidently in the company of persons of extreme intelligence and
superb skills. Above all, he is humble
and approachable. He can fit into a team.
He is young. He is also rich, but I hear he does not like to spend
money! He is a strong member of the Catholic Faith, and he bears the name
Peter. From what we know about him, his Peter will not deny Atiku whenever the
cock crows. He has recognition, respect and relevance.
So, there you have it: the
Atiku-Obi Presidential team of the Peoples Democratic Party. Good to go. But
how will Atiku handle the North, his own political zone? That is the other
question for analysis to be addressed shortly.
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