Nigeria’s Politics And Atiku’s Solo Race
Nigeria News takes a look at the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s solo effort to reclaim his alleged stolen mandate.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been around for a long time. Many of his contemporaries have retired from active politics. It is a very rough terrain that only the tough could tread.
The March 23 presidential election was the closest Atiku had run to the seat of power, yet he failed to win the polls. He believes that he had been robbed and that the judiciary should help him secure his alleged stolen mandate.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the polls with over 15 million votes while Atiku polled over 11 million votes.
However, on Wednesday while tendering his petition before election tribunal, Atiku presented another result, which he claimed he generated from the INEC server. The Atiku’s own presidential result showed that the PDP polled over 18 million while APC polled over 16 million.
With this, the former vice president concluded that he won the election but was robbed by the ruling party, which controls the INEC through massive riggings in some states.
Atiku wants Nigerians’ supports to reclaim his mandate, which to him also belongs to the 18 million who voted for him, out of which only 11 million was allocated to him.
But the PDP candidate may have to fight this battle alone because those that could help him will step aside as events continue to unfold.
Surprisingly, one of the media gurus who had been the backbone for Atiku went on Twitter to advise the PDP candidate to leave the situation for God. The Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu was one of the strong supporters of Atiku. He would go online to post the crowd at Atiku’s campaign. Momodu offered free professional advice to make Atiku win.
But as soon as the results were announced, Momodu was one of the first Nigerians to condemn the polls but went ahead to urge Atiku to take it as the act of God.
The popular constitutional lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba whom I have thought will file a case to demand Atiku’s mandate dazed the members of the public with his pessimistic comments that the PDP candidate might not have a case at the tribunal.
He advised Atiku not to approach the tribunal but should go and queue for the next election in 2023 if he is still interested. His reasons are that the only person that can help Atiku reclaim his alleged stolen mandate is the suspended Chief Justice of the Federation, Walter Onnoghen.
President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghen over allegations of contemporaries have and operation of foreign bank accounts. Atiku will have to fight the battle alone because his Director of presidential campaign organization, former Ogun State Governor, Otunga Gbenga Daniel had also resigned from the party and is on his way to join APC.
Perhaps, that was why Atiku ran to the leaders of the middle belt and southern Nigeria during the week for support ahead of the hearing of his petition by the tribunal.
He was at the Abuja residence of the erstwhile Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark where he met with the leaders over his solo effort.