I will hand over to Gen. Buhari for his review and possible implementation my policy document which was developed in line with the party’s philosophy.
His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Former Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
11th December 2014.
The implication of the statement above credited to a former presidential aspirant on the platform of Nigeria’s All Progressives’ Congress is that as at yesterday when Pa Muhammadu Buhari emerged presidential candidate of that party, he did not have a policy document or a clearly articulated blueprint or policy paper detailing how he hoped to lead Nigeria if he defeats His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan PhD in the coming elections in 2015. This is harmful!
Clearly, besides the Late Moshood Abiola and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan PhD, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the only Nigerian that showed Nigerians a policy document on how they hoped to lead this great country should he emerge president as a result of which I expected as obtainable in saner climes that every right thinking member of his party will naturally tilt towards him irrespective of what is believed to be his sins in the past; but the outcome of the just concluded primaries of the APC proved me wrong.
To be exact, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s conduct in the periods leading to the national convention of his party impressed me. This is mainly because he carried himself in a manner similar to President Goodluck Jonathan PhD. He ran an issue based campaigned and refrained from unnecessarily joining issues with every Tom, Dick and Harry he encountered. This is how our politics should be save for the fact that the APC appear cursed with the likes of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Lai Mohammed and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who know nothing besides hurling curses and abuses to their real and imaginary rivals.
Perhaps, Turakin Adamawa’s biggest error was his decision to fraternize with the APC. I had argued that a bright individual as him should have either fought his way in the PDP or joined a potentially vibrant brand like the Labor Party which he will nurture into a more prosperous brand since every event counting down to the emergence of a presidential candidate for the APC showed clearly that they were only interested in the figures Pa Muhammadu Buhari will pull into their fold during the elections proper. It did not matter to them if majority of the said votes will come from incidences of multiple voting from mainly under aged voters and under aged voters voting themselves. The big question thus is; what will become the case for the APC if the INEC build structures that will make it impossible for under aged persons to vote? What will become the case for the APC if the INEC build structures that will make it impossible for persons not properly verified to vote?
There are strong learning points in the emergence of Pa Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of the APC. A major learning point however is that the youth of Nigeria have once more traded a unique chance to be actively involved in the business of governance and leadership. Granted, a few of us may argue that corruption is Nigeria’s major challenge but to what extent can Pa Muhammadu Buhari affectively deal with this menace when by my estimation it is clearly beyond his powers and scope of reasoning to so deal as he has shown lately? I am afraid for the future of Nigerians in my age bracket because we surprisingly have failed in reckoning with the truth that the business of handling Nigeria is not one a feeble finger can handle. Shall we than rejoice that the major contender to President Goodluck Jonathan PhD in 2015 shall be a septuagenarian that depends heavily on food and vitamin supplements?
I have not doubts in the capacity of President Goodluck Jonathan PhD to be and remain the pilot of a greater Nigeria. Honestly, long gone are the times when I considered him too humane to be the leader of a huge nation as Nigeria but beyond these personal impressions of mine, the presence of a strong candidate as his rival come 2015 will drive him to perform better as a President when re-elected. It will cause him to be more desperate to transform Nigeria. It will make it impossible for him to rest on his oars as a re-elected president that is desirous of translating to a Pan-African/Global statesman after the end of his tenure in 2019. All these would have been in the interest of Nigeria but the dollars hungry delegates of the APC failed to think as normal humans should.
Now that the die is cast and the race to Aso Rock have begun skeletally, I can only hope that Pa Muhammadu Buhari will responsibly live up to his new status as Nigeria’s main opposition candidate and leader till 2019 when incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan PhD shall hand over the reins of leadership to a much younger Nigerian.
Ezeani, Chukwunonso Elvis is the South West Zonal Director for Communication, Research & Strategy at the Peoples’ Democratic Party National Youth Frontier. He can be reached via @NonsoEzeani1