Posted by Vanguard on
NIGERIANS have been watching with sad amusement the totalitarian antics of the Vice President Atiku Abubakar camp on the Adamawa turf of Nigerian politics.
NIGERIANS have been watching with sad amusement the totalitarian antics of the Vice President Atiku Abubakar camp on the Adamawa turf of Nigerian politics.
Sometime last year, the Election Tribunal decided that the gubernatorial poll that produced Boni Haruna as the second term governor of Adamawa State was flawed and must be redone.
In a swift reaction, Vice President Atiku went completely red and out of control. He declared that the verdict was aimed at hurting him personally and denting his political camp. He accused the trial judge of "lacking respect" and showing open partisanship, insinuating that he and his group would discard the gentleman's garb henceforth. If it required "slapping" they would readily do so to assert their political weight. This reaction was widely published and also widely denied. The governor later did what he should have done in the first place with quiet dignity. He went to the Appeal Court and won by having the Tribunal verdict overturned.
It turned out that Atiku's reported verbal overreaction was totally uncalled for. In fact, it was the opposition that showed more maturity in that the ANPP candidate accepted the Appeal Court's verdict wit equanimity. Another opportunity to test the Vice President and Governor's political maturity provided itself towards the end of last year. Professor Jibril Aminu, who represents Adamawa Central in the Senate, was invited to chair the launching of former First Lady, Mariam Babangida's new pet organisation, Better Life for African Women in Minna. Of course, Aminu honoured the invitation with enthusiasm because the Babangida's are his family friends, as he had enjoyed a most fulfilling public service as Education and Petroleum Resources Minister for six out of Babangida's eight years in power. Also, Aminu had attended a meeting of Northern Senators organised by ANPP Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, who is seen to be secretly fronting for Babangida, a member of the ruling PDP. For these and perhaps other undisclosed "sins", Aminu's name fell into the black book of the Vice President's camp.
A programme of recall from the Senate was spawned. Our main point of interest was not the woeful failure of that "recall" gambit. Our worry was that the VP's camp did not allow the negative outcome of Atiku's impulsive outburst over the Tribunal verdict to teach them a lesson on the need to handle unfavourable political developments with greater care and maturity. For instance, does it mean that all politicians from Adamawa State, especially those belonging to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) must forfeit their rights to make friends and associate with other Nigerians who may be nursing presidential ambitions just as the Vice President is?
Aminu was not being "recalled" for involvement in fraud or any of the sleaze activities of senators. He had not disgraced himself, the PDP or the state. If anything, another Adamawa Senator who represents Atiku's very senatorial district, Dr. Jonathan Zwingina, was once fingered by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, for involvement in the N54 million bribery scandal, which some Senators allegedly demanded before clearing ministerial nominees. The Atiku camp never raised any query on this issue against Zwingina to verify the truth of the matter, let alone hint at a recall.
This episode left many people wondering whether Atiku, if he realises his ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria, will judge members of his party and government by their personal loyalty to him or their conduct or misconduct towards the laws of the land. Will the former be his basis for applying sanctions? That is certainly not a very good impression, and Nigerians are not looking forward to a president with that sort of mindset.
PEOPLE were willing to give the Vice President's camp the benefit of the doubt, especially as he must be passing through tremendous pressures as a result of his internecine rift with the President. Perhaps, if Atiku were more reassured that he would be given a fair chance or some advantage to tussle for the presidential seat, he and his group would be more amenable to accommodation and toleration of opposing or alternative political opinions around Adamawa State? No matter what precipitated the atmosphere of intolerance in the Atiku camp, the use of state powers to curb the declaration of Col. Buba Marwa for the PDP in Yola last Saturday, was an outright act of political provincialism.
Boni Haruna, true to his old antics of fighting anyone opposed to Atiku, his political godfather, not only declared that day closed for environmental sanitation, but also mobilised the Police to seal off Ribadu Square, Yola, the venue of the event. Once again, the move to stop Marwa had to do with his presidential ambition, which could narrow Atiku's chances at the PDP presidential convention in the future. Haruna later came out to boast that he stopped Marwa to teach him a lesson for being "arrogant" and refusing to inform him of the impending event.
HOWEVER, a brief glance at the outcome of this latest episode shows that, like the two previous acts of undemocratic outburst against a court verdict and the abortive recall of Senator Aminu, the failed attempt to stop Marwa only turned around to hurt the image of the Atiku political camp further. Marwa was the better for it. The Atiku camp's image of lack of big heart and statesmanliness, its tendency to bully and repress others out of their legitimate democratic rights, its eagerness to browbeat opponents with the law enforcement agents and its inclination to invoke punishment against fellow citizens for the wrong motives only send negative signals about the kind of president Nigerians can expect out of Atiku if and when the times comes.
This strategy is patently wrong, undemocratic and offensive. Boni Haruna is acting like a typical sycophant. We know that Atiku personally lifted him up from the position of a newsroom administrator to that of Executive Governor when Atiku's political chances received an uncommon boost in 1999. We know he is trying to show his loyalty and gratitude to the Vice President for what he has done in his life. Anyone would be. But he is going about it wrongly. He is hurting his godfather's political image and prospects. He is shooting Atiku in the foot, and Atiku, instructively, isn't exactly helping himself either!
Is El Rufai cold-blooded?
ABOUT a week ago, the Presidential Assistant in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, was summoned to the House of Representatives to clarify some issues connected with the on-going demolition of some alleged illegal structures in the Kubwa and other districts of Abuja.
As he moved away from the precincts of the National Assembly, a horde of reporters surrounded him and a question was thrown at him thus:
REPORTER: Are you still going ahead with the demolition exercise at Kubwa?
RUFAI: (Smiles with his lips but not his eyes) Go to Kubwa and see!
That was cold-blooded! That smile was without a human face! El Rufai gave the impression that he loves the dirty job he has to do. In this life, it is often not what you do but how. If illegal structures have to be demolished they have to be demolished. But the impression must not be created that someone is deriving orgiastic ecstasy watching fellow citizens in physical and emotional pains over the loss of their life's investments. It puts questions in our minds. Is it possible for a person who seems so gleeful in smashing other people's property to dust to even have the patience to be fair and just to those who might have been were victims of official fraud?
You can do the right things the wrong way. Prayer works. Former Urban Housing Minister Mrs. Bolaji Osomo was put in prayers by residents of the 2004 Estate in Lagos for her wicked attitude in carrying out a government policy. Today she rests in disgrace. A word is enough for the wise.