Not so many people know the man Atiku Abubakar, most new entrants into
politics just chance upon his name without doing any deep political
research on him, so they draw the usual run-off-mill assumption in the
name of conclusion that Atiku is just another usual politician who will
expire soon.
Let me clear some of your doubts, Atiku is a politician who has no
intention to retire, if Atiku leaves politics he can hardly remain
alive, politics has become part of his DNA ever since he left Customs
over 30 years ago for active Politics, he has remain active, he is going
nowhere. It is better to work with him than work against. Atiku is not a
part time politician, he is a professional.
Atiku was in the arrowhead of activism for call to Democracy in Nigeria
so he is a jungle expert when it comes to political guerrilla tactics,
what we call (Sari Ka Noke) it is an unconventional warfare that you
attack and hide, it normally last a long time with maximum damage to
opponents. This was how they fought to get the Military back to their
barracks, not so many people know that.
As if that is not enough, Atiku is a master, talented businessman who
has navigated multi-million dollar Companies to higher grounds, any
politician with resources; both human and capital is unstoppable, except
with apparatus of state, like Buhari employed in 2019.
Atiku is a highly skilled politician who has won and lost elections, so
only the use of undemocratic tactics like Buhari employed in 2019 can
defeat him now, because he knows all the bends and the twist.
If only Wike had intelligent advisers, the moment Atiku declared to run
for the PDP ticket for 2023, Wike should have opted out. I gave this
advice in one of the whatsapp groups we belong to with Wike and in
another with Tambuwal’s adviser, I am not sure Tambuwal withdrew
because of my advice, I don’t think so.
Tambuwal only saw the handwriting on the wall. It was clear he will not
win so he did a political master stroke, withdrew for the most likely
winner among them, who eventually won.
Let me digress a little to explain a certain myth that has been bandied
by some supporters of Wike, that had Tambuwal not withdrawn, Wike would
have won the PDP primaries, that Tambuwal betrayed Wike’s support for
him in 2019.
The votes’ gap between Atiku and Wike who came second is about 134
votes, the third person to Atiku and next to Wike had about 70 votes,
that is Saraki. Now, do the maths, none of the candidates got up to 100
votes after Wike, so, even if Tambuwal had remained in the race he
wouldn’t pull up to 100 votes, yet Atiku would have still won albeit
with a smaller gap, Tambuwal was only politically smart and calculative.
Bala Mohammed was on the ballot, also a sitting Governor like Tambuwal,
Udom and Wike.
Bala Mohammed got 20 votes, while Udom got 38 votes. Tambuwal’s
withdrawal only added flavor to the event, shows his smartness, but
certainly not a betrayal, neither was it a reason for the outcome.it was
a deft political move that saw him bounce back to National limelight,
Wike blew away that opportunity and even doing so now.
Wike and his group ought to know that if Atiku didn’t run, Wike would
still not have gotten the Ticket with Saraki in the race, because PDP
was in search of a National Candidate of which Saraki ranks above
Tambuwal and Wike in terms of National political outlook and national
spread, moreover the Saraki political generation is next in line after
Atiku’s generation then it will be followed by Wike, Tambuwal, Udom
and others. Everyone has his time.
Now for Wike or just anyone to think he can stop Atiku at the General
election in 2023, the person must be politically naive, how do you
intend to stop a man whom against your support came to your state
Capital in 2019 and still won the Primaries? Isn’t that like trying to
move Zuma rock to a different place?
Look! Till today Nigerians know that Atiku won the 2019 elections but
the instrumentality of the state was used to subvert the victory, now
another opportunity has come before Nigerians with a more credible
process like the use of BVAS but all you can think of is how to stop
that man? Think again! Strategy, it will be futile, instead join him to
win together like Tambuwal did at the Primaries.
Like I advised before the primaries, I will advise again, it is better
to stop all rants, all the undermining and all the anti-party and
anti-Atiku activities and join hands with the likely, most experienced,
most prepared candidate to win the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar so that
at victory you can negotiate all the goods for your people you claim you
are fighting for.
Nzogbu-Nzogbu is not Politics, Politics is lobbying, negotiation and
networking.
Sai- Baba writes in from Minna; Twitter: @boyemdee
