ABUBAKAR ATIKU: Nothing to offer

By Joseph Edgar…

I need to be very clear with my position this today as I do not want any kind of misunderstanding as to where I stand on the matter. Abubakar Atiku has nothing whatsoever to offer and will not be getting my vote if he declares his intention for 2019.

This position I must state very clearly has nothing to do with all the allegations of corruption levelled against him or his policies and beliefs but on my general disgust at the generation he belongs to and if I am to choose between Atiku and the incumbent I will, unlike mama, Taraba will cast my vote for a continuation.

You see, the generation that has been ruling us has done a lot of damage to this country and the Nobel Laurette befittingly called them a wasted generation. They took over government from the British and immediately led us into a 30 month fratricidal war after which they beset us with a series of coups and exposed us to some of the most wanton looting any country could have witnessed . As if this is not enough, they have continued with a macabre game of recycling themselves while still entrapping us in crippling poverty and malaise.

So what new thing is Atiku bringing to the table? What fresh idea is he bringing that would radically change the dire situation in our country today? From all I have seen or heard there is really nothing new. It continues with a vacuous entreaties all aimed at placating a continued gullible population into surrendering their suffrage for a bowl of porridge.

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Rather than support an Atiku candidacy, I will place my bet on Buhari. Despite everything, he is still an honest sick man. Although he comes with his own wahala, especially with the lop-sidedness of his appointments, which seemingly continue to fuel ethnic unrests, he has shown within the last two years that he indeed is not a corrupt person. He has shown a lack of statesmanship especially with his seeming disregard of the south east, he has shown an uncanny resolve to tackle corruption as against the expected compromise that we are used to. This alone would give him my support if I was faced with the two devils.

My plea to God is to raise a messiah, for either of these two would not cut it for us. Surprisingly, I even see a Nnamdi Kanu, although better guided and retooled, a far more better leader than what we are seeing here. He remains a gadfly, shallow and inept in his believe that he can pull us apart, but despite this I still see some unique qualities of a true leader if only he could be debriefed and better polished.

The single minded belief in his demented mission, his resolve to continue the fight even at a risk to his life and freedom, his charisma, his oratorical skill, his organisational qualities all stand him out from the crowd who continue to jostle for our leadership. If only Kanu was better programmed towards one Nigeria he just might have been our generation’s solution to the dearth of true leadership that we have been facing.

Atiku in my own estimation has not shown these qualities. He has not shown any steadfastness nor belief in any principle, talk less of any attachment to an ideology. What we have seen has been a continued dance around political parties, a prostitute like change in partners and a vision of self, mixed with the nostalgia for high office once held.

Do we need this type of dance, especially at this point in our National development? Do we need old and tired policies pushed by little gods who have been compromised by ancient ties and relationships? I think not and for people like mama Taraba, they should go and sit down and let us be truly free.

What we need is for the younger generation to use the opportunity of 2019 to achieve universal support by running a selfless campaign that would push policies, over the top idea, and rise above narrow ethnic interest. In fact an Nnamdi Kanu, without his shallow ethnic policies but with his strong passion and believe for nationalistic interest. Definitely not a gargoyle who has contested every election since I left secondary school.

 

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