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2007 Presidency: Obasanjo, Atiku And the Hawks

Vanguard (Lagos)
OPINION
January 23, 2005
Posted to the web January 24, 2005

By Sufuyan Ojeifo

CHIEF Olusegun Mathew Aremu Okikiolakan Obasanjo, a retired General of the
Nigerian Army and former Head of State, happened on the nation's political
scene in 1998 when he was drafted into politics, specifically to contest the
presidential election, as he had been anointed by the powers-that-be to succeed
the then Head of State, General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar. Coming from a
military background, Obasanjo did not make any pretension to being a
politician.
He was crude in the art of politics. But he managed to forge ahead, causing
tensions along the way. When General Abubakar and former Military President,
General Ibrahim Babangida packaged him to emerge as President, it was, as
learnt, designed to achieve a dual purpose: to assuage the feeling of loss and
pain by the Southwest zone, which son, Chief M.K.O. Abiola had died in the
custody of the Federal Government in which he was held by the regime of the
late General Sani Abacha, for daring to declare himself the duly-elected winner
of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election at Epetedo in Lagos; and,
two, to promote/further the military hegemony in national governance, perhaps
with the prospects of a member of the military clique taking over from
Obasanjo.
Talking about the tensions that Obasanjo caused along the way on account of his
political naivety, consider these two: his announcement of N130 million
donation to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which unsettled the party's
leadership guard some of whom were interested in the party"s presidential
ticket as well as the polity, which got a scaring prospect of money influence
in the emergent politics, although the furore generated by that made it
impossible for him to redeem the pledge; then, the decision (and irrevocable
announcement) that has remained valid up till now: the choice of Alhaji
Abubakar Atiku, the Turaki Adamawa, as his running mate for the 1999
presidential election. Obasanjo's choice of Atiku, who had already emerged as
governor-elect of Adamawa State, rattled the clan of power brokers in the North
who had calculated that having facilitated the emergence of Obasanjo, he would
be there to do their bidding.
But alas! This Baba Iyabo, as Obasanjo is now fondly called, is different from
the Head of State of 1976-79. He has become his own man; he has defined his own
course of actions even if considered not to be politically correct; it was his
will to have Atiku as his running mate, the man with whom he could work; the
man in whom he was (is?) well pleased.
By that singular decision, prominent northern politicians such as Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, Malam Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and Professor Jubril
Aminu who had either positioned themselves or had been positioned by powerful
and strategic interests got a shocker of their life as their political
calculations were shattered. But Obasanjo"s action was appreciated by watchers
of the development within the context of his own possible understanding of
extended loyalty.
He had perhaps moved to pick Atiku in honour of the loyalty of his friend and
second in command when he was head of state, the late General Shehu Musa
Yar'Adua, an intense and passionate power player in national governance, as
well as a strategist and tactician in party politics, who was his (Atiku's)
political godfather. As the scion of the Yar'Adua political dynasty, Atiku, who
mobilized the Yar'Adua machine in the field for Obasanjo's victory at the poll,
was considered capable of sustaining the loyalty of the Yar'Adua family. And he
did that creditably. Which was why Obasanjo in the first term (from 1999-2003)
handed over to him control of the party machinery.
It was also learnt that, to the displeasure of some hawks in government, he was
given the leeway to have significant input into the composition of the Federal
cabinet and appointment into the Board of parastatal corporations.
Perhaps, Atiku's political sin, in the estimation of the hawks in the
Presidency and the party, would be that he deployed the power and influence of
his office and the strategic responsibilities given to him by Obasanjo to his
own political advantage.
For instance, those who had their eyes on the presidency and even Atiku's
position as Vice President stopped at nothing, in their hawkish manner, to put
a wedge in the smooth flowing political rapprochement that existed between him
and Obasanjo. Internal disquiet within the V.P.'s political camp coalesced with
external manouvres in a bid to undermine his position and political future
beyond 2003. Sunday Vanguard learnt that a deliberate plot to scuttle Atiku"s
second term as Vice President was perfected by forces within and outside the
Presidency and the party.
It was learnt that they had conspired to collapse his political future abruptly
by sowing the seed of hatred in the heart of the President. The plot was
working out fine as a Governor of one of the Northeast States had, as learnt,
been penciled down to replace Atiku as Obasanjo's running mate for the 2003
presidential elections. It took the deployment of political brinkmanship to
salvage the situation and put Atiku back on track.
The post-2003 presidential primaries and election developments in the
Presidency and the PDP have continued to be appreciated against the backdrop of
the dirty politics and pernicious manouvres that characterized the nomination
of the Obasanjo/Atiku presidential ticket. The manouvres have sharply, but
perhaps, wrongly, polarized the Presidency and the PDP if feelers from the
Presidency in the last one week are anything to go by.
All that had happened in the PDP in recent times had been seen within the
context of supremacy battle by Obasanjo and Atiku for the soul of the party,
more so, when Atiku is believed to be strongly interested in succeeding his
boss.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the so-called hawks in and out of government who
are trying to rupture the good relationship that exists between the President
and his Vice President have introduced the sensational bent to the management
of the relationship in the Presidency over PDP affairs.
A Presidency source told Sunday Vanguard that these hawks know how the
President feels about stories that tend to pitch his Vice President against him
in some kind of imaginary or cooked up contestation for control or power in the
party arrangement; whereas, it is common knowledge that there is nothing to
contest for as the power resides with the President.
The control of the party is in the hands of the President.
He directs the Vice President to carry out directives that relate to the proper
running of the party. Take, for instance, when Chief Solomon Lar was to be
removed as national chairman, the President asked the Vice President to get a
replacement; Chief Barnabas Genmade was chosen.
When Gemade was to be removed, the President sought the advice of the Vice
President and that was why Gemade survived up to the time of the National
Convention. The President who asked that he should be given a list of
candidates made the choice of Audu Ogbeh. He was given a list of ten names from
where he ticked Ogbeh's name; that he could work with him, having known him
fairly well as a farmer".
The source's contentions, which were corroborated by feelers from other
Presidency and party sources, were that there was no need for Atiku as second
in command not to be loyal to the end. To waiver at this point in time would be
an act of political misjudgement or indiscretion as, in the words of the
source, "having worked for the success of his boss, he cannot afford to act in
ways that would pitch him on a collision course with him (his boss)".
Sunday Vanguard learnt that this angle is what anti-Atiku elements who want to
devour him has been exploring with a view to cause a collateral damage to the
good relationship that exists between him and Obasanjo. Feelers last week
indicated that the hawks might have got Obasanjo by the jugular to make him
believe that Atiku is intensely, but quietly in hot contestation for control of
the PDP with him.
Indeed, it is a known fact that Obasanjo wants to determine who succeeds him in
2007; for, that is how to play the godfather. So to that extent, he would not
want to brook any opposition on that issue. It is also a known fact that Atiku
wants to take a shot at the Presidency in 2007, but with the support of his
boss, which is why he has continued to take steps to prove his loyalty, even to
the point of self-abasement.
Imagery fire of hate
Yet, the hawks whose objective is to undo Atiku have, as learnt, not relented
in stoking the imaginary fire of hate in the camp of the President against him
(V.P.)
Last week, reports had indicated that the duo of Obasanjo and Atiku held a
marathon secret talk at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. The meeting took place
last Monday. They were said to have met twice in the morning and in the
afternoon.
A presidency source was quoted as saying "When there seems to be a problem,
they lock themselves in a room and iron it out. They go over the issue and
reach an agreement and they move on. It has worked". It was said that it has
been their style to meet the way they did last Monday and it has always worked.
The source would not confirm that the problem this time round had to with the
problem in the PDP and the resignation of the party's national chairman, Chief
Ogbeh.
The meeting took place on the heels of the V.P.'s reported travel-related
illness". He was further quoted: "There is no problem between the President and
the V.P. The President called to wish him well. He offered to fly him abroad if
he so wished".
Sunday Vanguard learnt last week that the camp of the hawks has been thrown
into understandable confusion on account of the meeting, which as gathered, it
feared would have helped the V.P. to explain certain things to Obasanjo and
reassure him of his highest esteem and loyalty. No matter. The politicking is
going on.
How it will end up, whether in favour of Atiku or the hawks, depends on how
well Atiku can deploy his proximity to Obasanjo within the Presidential Villa
to quickly, like he has always done, explain himself to his boss for forward
movement, to the chagrin of these celebrated hawks, whoever they are.

   

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