Atiku AbubakarThe Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum(ACF), Anthony Sani has advised the Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar not to jubilate yet about being endorsed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as he may soon change his mind.
He recalled that it is the same Obasanjo who asked God not to forgive him if he endorsed his former Vice President that eventually went ahead to endorse him, adding: “I believe not only Nigerians but even Atiku himself cannot bask in the glow of the endorsement by Obasanjo out of the fear that the manifest of inconsistency can make him change his mind before the elections.”
The ACF Scribe acknowledged that Obasanjo is a factor in national politics having ruled the country under both military and democracy, saying that his commitment to one united Nigeria cannot be taken away from him, but that whether such attributes can translate into electoral value is in doubt.
“More so that Obasanjo has been a product beyond himself; when the late Murtala Muhammed was assassinated in 1976, the military hierarchy at that time asked Obasanjo to take over as Head of State.
“It was not his efforts that got him the position. Also in 1999, the retired Generals and Northern leaders went and brought him out and made him the president. These are not his personal efforts. So, Obasanjo is a product of forces beyond him.”
“As to whether Nigerians will pander to the former president’s endorsement of the presidential candidate of the main opposition party is also in doubt, precisely because of his inconsistency that does not accommodate conviction and vision expected of a statesman of his status.
“Consider the former president tore his party card of PDP and wrote off both APC and PDP as unserviceable. He then formed a nonpartisan Coalition Movement which he later transmuted to a political party called ADC against his earlier ‘new year resolution’ not to be partisan.
“Former President Obasanjo said God would not forgive him if he endorsed his former VP for president, only for him to now leave his ADC and endorse Atiku.”
- Source: Independent on Sunday
