POLITICAL HUMILIATION OF
ATIKU: GONE TOO FAR
By Usman Garba Santuraki <usbaturaki@yahoo.com>
Sept 1, 2006
If one calls it the highest humiliation in the life of
Atiku Abubakar, one is quite saying the truth. The
political humiliation by Baba Iyabo to Vice-President
Atiku Abubakar has gone too far with the removal CSP
Abdul Yari his ADC, Col Jafar Isa, Dr. Onukaba Ojo,
Prof Sam Oyabaire, Mr. Chris Mammah, Mr. Shima Ayati
and Malam Garba Shehu. All these people were removed
on the order of the President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
whom the Vice-President Atiku assisted in 1999 and
2003 to become President.
To borrow the words of Sam Nda-Isaiah publisher of
Leadership newspaper, who said that Obasanjo is” the
world’s greatest ingrate” this is because of upon all
what Atiku has done to him, this is the way that he
would repay him by humiliating him so as to scare him
not to contest for the presidency of this country in
It is quite a pity that Atiku failed to know the
antecedents of this man by solidly standing behind him
in spites of all what was told him about Baba Aremu
that he is unforgettable person who takes delight in
avenging anything done to him irrespective of his
closeness to someone. In 2003, Atiku got a clear
chance of becoming the President of this country but,
shun all entreaties and overtures made to him by the
Governors during the PDP convention in Abuja in 2003.
In history, there have always been people who would
willingly made sacrifice for what they believe in it.
Atiku happen to be one of them. What bought about all
this intrigues by the President is the issue of that
he is not quite dispose to Vice-President Atiku’s
ambition of succeeding him. But one thing that the
President should realize is that Nigeria is too big a
country for such kind of thing and as Sen. Yushua Anka
said he is “digging his own grave” as it cannot be
possible for him to extend his tenure without the
presidency going back to the north.
More controversially, the proponents of the third term
issue are the people that are call political
opportunists who like to be within the corridor of
power be it civilian or military once they can massage
their ego. These people need not to be taken seriously
because their antics smack selfishness and nothing
It is only by dusting our history books that we can
know that President Obasanjo felt jittery with the
outburst of Atiku as a democrat that is ready to
challenge anything that would shake the foundation of
The President should realize that those clamoring for
Interim arrangement for him do not mean well for him
The constitution stipulates a maximum of two terms of
four years, there was no way any person can arm-twist
to the contrary. The Hausas has a saying”Saka alheri
da alheri” that is show kindness with kindness. But,
President Obasanjo failed to appreciate this saying
simply because he has fall into the trap of some
opportunists by taking a person who has show him
absolute loyalty like his own father. The President
should know that history is an unrelenting judge. He
will learn eventually at great cost to his name that
military situations are different from civil
situations. He should do all he can do to see he carry
his loyal Vice-President along to the termination date
of their second mandate in 2007.
Infact, the revalidation of the registration of the
members of PDP especially the one done in Adamawa
State is to whittle the influence of Vice-President
Atiku in his home State. Amos Dunia a die-hard
supporter of Atiku says the other time in his writing
that” it seems many Nigerians are living in a
day-dreaming glass houses. Politics in Nigeria today
and in future, including 2007 is no more normal.
Political analysts must go for more training and
re-training in order to understand the unraveling
circumstances of the post2003 election directions.
Atiku Abubakar would spring surprises that most of
today’s politicians who are military will live to
Atiku on his own has his short comings because
virtually those who surround him are not helping
matters it seems that he has becloud his sense of
reasoning to appreciate he fact that one does not need
to be always seeing the same faces as his supporters-I
am referring to some of his personal staff whom has
been with him since he joined the murky waters of
politics. Time, indeed, has now catch up with them as
it is now that their services are quite needed to do
things for him but they are no where to be found and
from all intents and purposes the political
humiliation of Atiku cannot be abated for the fact
that he lapped up the esteem of having Baba Iyabo to
begged him for his support when in 2003 virtually all
the Governors of the PDP wanted to ditch him to
support Atiku to bid for the presidency. When
something that was done in private leaked out and
become headlines of a lot of newspapers, Obasanjo was
livid with rage and since then made up his mind not
Whatever the outcome of this humiliation it is an
examination to a lot of people to fully know how to
tread and show loyalty especially someone with
military instincts like the President Olusegun
Obasanjo.Even President without the military instincts
do things similar because right now in South Africa
Atiku’s friend Jacob Zuma is accuse of raping just to
nail him as he has a political ambition of becoming
Aggressive talks needed to be put in place, to stem
down the humiliation of the Vice-President Atiku by
either the President himself or his cohorts who want
to rubbish the Vice-President before the 2007
Writes from No 74 Tafida Street
| 
