“By the International Guardian publication, Buhari is described as a stingy rightwing dictator, being put forward as a choice for the presidential election, while on the other hand Atiku is described as an Established Thief also vying to be elected as President of Africa’s most populous country.”
Investigations have revealed that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate in February 16 presidential election in Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has long history of using the National Assembly in the country to manipulate efforts, past and present, to move the country forward along the line of progress and development.
This resurfaced as the International Guardian has named Atiku a THIEF in its latest report where on the front page lead titled, “Inside Nigeria: The stingy dictator and established thief”, it tries like to say it presents a scenario of incoming presidential election as a game between a man perceived to have held tight to money in avoiding free money dropping from public treasury into private hands (President Muhammadu Buhari) and another man it, strictly put, described as an ‘established thief’ internationally (Alhaji Atiku Abubakar).
Asides the foreign media talking lately, a research into the man Atiku in the last five years took us to a 2014 report of former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, where he described him as a “shameless liar” who plotted against his infamous third term agenda using the National Assembly.
At a public presentation of his book titled, ‘Olusegun Obasanjo: My Watch,’ in Lagos, Tuesday 9 December 2014, Chief Obasanjo accused Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of aligning with his detractors to spin his courageous effort at constitutional reform into myopic claims of tenure elongation.
Obasanjo and Atiku were Nigeria’s President and Vice President respectively between 1999 and 2007.
The former President stated that at a time Atiku was contesting for the presidential ticket of the then one year old opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2015 general elections.
He said: “Those who can be regarded as influential and who have publicly accused me of allegedly manipulating a third term were Atiku Abubakar, who is a blatant and shameless liar, who was behind the whole episode of turning wholesome constitutional amendment efforts of the National Assembly to a futile exercise and as a means of riding on its ashes to be Nigerian President.
“Third term was not my agenda or intention although I would not say I didn’t know about it. I didn’t mastermind third term. Those who were telling me to go on were the governors that were going to benefit from it.
“If I did not want tenure elongation when I was military Head of State and had need to, I see no reason why I should be falsely accused of coup planning by Abacha and tenure elongation by Atiku.”
Although Buruji Kashamu, a chieftain of the PDP and close associate of then President Goodluck Jonathan, was said to have secured a court injunction stopping Obasanjo from going ahead with the book presentation noting it contained libelous accusations, the former president said that going ahead with the book presentation did not violate the court’s order since it had already been printed and published three months before time.
“I had given the book to my editors and to the publisher. As far as I am concerned, my job is done. I had written the book and printed before the court injunction,” Obasanjo said even as he tried to educate: “In a normal judiciary, the judge should be sanctioned and I hope something will be done. We are here legally and lawfully and we will continue to act lawfully and legally.”
The Court on Wednesday December 10, 2014 found Obasanjo guilty of contempt and gave the former president 21 days to explain why he should not be punished and up till today, findings showed further that court doing nothing to Obasanjo over what was hitherto tagged contempt and ultimatum on why he should not be punished for present MY WATCH is proof that the content of the book is authority.
Obasanjo’s attempt to perpetrate himself in office was scuttled by the National Assembly and Atiku proudly spare-headed the scuttling efforts, our findings revealed.
It will be recalled that, after Obasanjo/Atiku’s eight years tenure, the National Assembly’s penchant for fisticuffing with Presidency went low under the short-lived administration of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua and six years government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan both PDP. The moment President Muhammadu Buhari emerged as democratically elected President and Atiku, as a leader in his party, APC, needed to return to the trenches like of Obasanjo’s days, he used Senator Bukola Saraki, not only to insult, disrespect and prove arrogance to the party on which platform he returned to the National Assembly but also, since the start of the Buhari’s administration in 2015, Atiku’s Saraki has been fully engaged in anti-development activities sabotaging efforts by the Buhari’s Presidency to fight outrightly kill corruption, reform the Nigerian Police and bring out speedy development, security and economy.
In the meantime, the United Kingdom based International Guardian in a strong piece by Anthony Obi Ogbo, published in its latest edition, has it that Nigeria’s voters on 16 February 2019 are faced with a choice between two candidates, “one is a dictator, and the other an established thief”.
Author of the piece, Anthony Ogbo, PhD, is also the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019) and, according to the foreign media, can be reached via anthony@guardiannews.us.
By the International Guardian publication, Buhari is described as a stingy rightwing dictator, being put forward as a choice for the presidential election, while on the other hand Atiku is described as an Established Thief also vying to be elected as President of Africa’s most populous country.
Ogbo said: “To be clear, this article is not an endorsement of any candidate but a synopsis of the uncertainties that befog Nigeria’s chances to attract a good leader in the forthcoming elections. The next best solution could have been a radical change initiated by a frustrated population. This might entail a disregard of the two major candidates for entirely somebody new for a holistic political detour. But the current political terrain would not support that option in a society where traditional and tribal connectivity still dominates social and political actions.
“So, voters might be faced with a choice between two candidates, one is a dictator, and the other an established thief. Without a doubt, this race might boil down to a choice between Buhari, a timid, nepotic but stingy rightist who would sit down on the national wealth without a clue about how to invest, and a lavish and irresponsible spender called Atiku, who could share the national treasury with the wolves that currently surround his candidacy.
“Buhari’s battle with his health might yet not be over. So he might make more trips to fix himself. But Atiku has equally spent more time beyond the shores. He would lie to the nation that he was at a strategy meeting in Dubai, whereas he was busy meeting with unscrupulous money mongers that invest in his campaign. So, the choice is clear, between a weak, clueless, ailing incumbent who might still make many more trips abroad to heal a retiring soul, and a challenger whose fiscal recklessness, corrupt personality, and affiliation with dishonest political vandals might further sink Nigeria’s economy irreparably.”
