Atiku Misunderstood

The results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primary on Thursday which placed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar third, trailing behind General Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state, have raised some questions in the Nigeria’s political circle. What really is working against Alhaji Atiku, seeing that his Thursday outing was one defeat too many? Why would he appear larger than life in the Nigeria political platform but seems to be worth far less when it comes to the nitty gritty of election? Why is he so misunderstood by Nigerians? What is the root cause of such misunderstanding of his intention for Nigeria?
If the love of the country and commitment not only to the flourishing of democracy but to the wellbeing of the citizens of the country are anything to go by, Atiku certainly towers over and above many people who are leading this country at many levels today.
It is on record that he has invested in many socio-economic sectors, including education that provides employments to many Nigerians, especially the youths.
Of course, the image that seems to have been unconsciously embedded in the minds of Atiku haters is the one of corruption, but this has been without basis. Another one is the fact that he is inconsistent in his quest for power: that he changes party like a lady changes her undies.
On the issue of corruption, where are the evidences, except the ones cooked up by those who simply hate his guts?
In any case, whichever way he made his wealth, and still making it, does not really bury the reality that he shows, in all respects, his total belief in Nigeria and the Nigerian project. That he is committed to such ideals.
In other words, while many wealthy Nigerians, most of who acquired such wealth evidently through questionable means, would prefer to stash the major parts of their financial accumulation in Swiss accounts or other accounts in foreign lands: they neither assist the growth of Nigerian economy nor the growing number of unemployed youths to enjoy life, Atiku has been doing the direct opposite. It calls for repeating that, within the same polity where somebody like Atiku has shown a lot of patriotism, others like him or more than him are running down the nation’s economy in the guise of foreign investment.
On the issue of his inconsistency regarding the political platform, Atiku appears to always want to be where he can properly place himself to get the leadership so that he would move fast to right all the wrongs in the nation’s body politics and other socio-economic malaises. We in Greenbarge Reporters don’t see anything wrong in that. We believe strongly that the notion about his inconsistency has been floated by those who fear he would overshadow them in political calculations or has actually done so. Those are they who have resorted to giving him a bad name so they can hang him.
It is baffling but not totally surprising that Nigerians, in search of change for the better, are not keen in letting him to get the power to enable him translate his tall dream into reality.
It is baffling that a man, like Atiku, who has been working very hard to ensure that the institutions of democracy work in tandem with international best practices; a man who oozes with ideas of how to make Nigeria work and, indeed, a man who has invested so much in human and capital development of the country from his individual efforts, has been so rejected by the same people he is working for, or is it the system? Who are responsible for shooting Atiku down politically each time he wants to “fly”? [myad]