Buhari Vs Atiku: Where does Obasanjo stand?

Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a force to be reckoned with in the political landscape of the country.

His voice speaks volume that many see him as a god when it comes to who becomes the president of the country.

After his tenure as the president, Obasanjo backed late former president Umaru Musa Yaradua to get the PDP ticket in 2007 against former governor of Rivers state, Peter Odilli who was initially tipped to win the party’s presidential ticket.

Yaradua’s demise created the space for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s presidency.

In 2011, when Jonathan contested for the presidency as incumbent, same Obasanjo, stood behind him to win the PDP presidential ticket against his former vice, Atiku Abubakar.

But in 2015 when Jonathan indicated his interest to run for a second term, this did not augur well with the elder statesman, as he didn’t give his blessings.

Obasanjo was said to have openly backed Maj,- Mohammadu Buhari, Jonathan’s opponent while he was still a member of the party.

This action attracted a lot of criticisms from the PDP stalwarts, calling for his expulsion.

Before he got his expulsion letter, Obasanjo publicly ordered that his membership card be torn, saying the country was gradually destroyed economically under Jonathan’s administration.

The party members on their part claimed that the president was ejected from the party for anti-party activities.

The statement by his expulsion, said the former president “stands expelled and ex-communicated from the party, thereby loosing all rights, priviledges and respect of our teeming members.”

Forthwith, Obasanjo openly criticised the administration of Jonathan, accusing him of wasting the country’s resources and consequently threw his weight of support behind Buhari’s presidential ambition, this many said worked against Jonathan and helped Buhari to win in 2015.

At that time, Obasanjo claimed Buhari was smart, educated and experienced enough to warrant his support.
Buhari’s sins

However, in less than two years of Buhari’s administration, the PhD holder had written two letters expressing his dissatisfaction over the manner of governance of the incumbent president’s administration.

This generated a lot of heat across the country, with some analysts backing Obasanjo and others condemning him.

Obasanjo accused Buhari of nepotism, having a poor understanding of politics and engaging in blame games rather than accepting responsibility for his failure.

The elder statesman, whenever given the opportunity at many functions openly criticized the current administration and its principal, “Some people believe that those that are in position, whether they are doing well or not, they must continue to be there. But when we say they must not be there, they will want to fight back.” he said at a function in Ibadan.

He charged Nigerians to sit-up, saying it would not be an easy task to wrest powers from Buhari.

“If you think it will be easy to liberate Nigeria, you are deceiving yourself. But the God that did it yesterday will do it again today.

Remember a particular leader who had a desire to transmute from military uniform to elected President.

“We had a situation that we had five political parties and the five parties nominated one person as candidate for presidency. If only his nuclear family had voted for him, he would have won.

“But our God is wonderful. God laughed. Now, God is laughing. When the time came, God revealed that he’s God.

He is the omnipotent, omnipresent and eternal, who can do all things and who can make all things possible.

But if we are leaving things to God, we have to do our own side. “The work has started. Some people may be laughing at you and make jest of you, don’t be bothered with that.

Listen, Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are your instruments. If you have not collected yours, go and collect it.”

Obasanjo’s rift with Atiku
Many have seen Obasanjo as a major obstacle to former vice president Atiku’s ambition.

Some highly influential Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan have advised the ex-VP to close ranks with Obasanjo in order to achieve his aim.

When Atiku newly defected from the APC had not announced his presidential plans or platform he would use, Jonathan warned him not to ignore Obasanjo, even if he gets the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket.

“If Atiku gets our party ticket, he would compete well. But he would have to reach out to our boss, Baba OBJ, the boss of all bosses.

“We’ve all leant at different times that you ignored OBJ at your peril. OBJ has the magic wand, he is respected at home and abroad”, Jonathan was quoted as saying.

As if some Atiku’s traducers were waiting for his exit from the APC, they had immediately put to use an old video of Obasanjo’s interview where he gave reasons for not supporting his former ally.

The video, which had recently gone viral showed the retired General saying he couldn’t have allowed Atiku to succeed him, apparently because of the magnitude of the information at his disposal.

“With what I know about Atiku, if I had put Atiku forward, God would not have forgiven me”, Obasanjo claimed in the video, said to have been recorded in 2015.

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka who spoke on the rift between the duo said Obasanjo had knelt down for Atiku in his desperate bid to secure the ticket of the PDP for the 2003 poll.

Before the PDP primaries in January 2003, Obasanjo got everyone he knew could reach me on the surface on the earth including Yemi Ogunbiyi and my son, to get me to help him intercede when it was clear that (Abubakar) Atiku was in a position to take his job.

He knew Atiku had a lot of regard for me and calls me ‘Uncle’.”

In the now famous BBC interview few days to PDP’s 2003 primaries, Atiku had declared that he was under tremendous pressure from his supporters to contest the ticket against Obasanjo but was yet to make up his mind in what triggered panic in Obasanjo’s camp.

“The pressure was intense,” the literary giant recounted. “Of course, I could not have knelt before Atiku not to embark on a course of action that would lead to his boss’ disgrace.

But I can confirm to you that Obasanjo as President knelt down before Atiku so that he would not lose his job.

Soyinka said he warned Atiku that for making Obasanjo to kneel down for him, he would pay heavily for that. This explained Atiku’s dramatic change of fortune once Obasanjo was sworn in for a second term of office.

In April, Obasanjo, when asked if he would support Atiku’s presidential aspiration, answered: “For what how can I be on the same side with Atiku?

To do what?” he had asked. “If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes.

But once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support. I do not have personal grudges with anyone. If you do not do well for Nigeria, you do not do well for all of us.

It is not a question of working with or not working with an individual. If you are working for the good of Nigeria, I am working with you.

If you are not working for the good of Nigeria it does not matter who you are I am not working with you

Which of the two would get Obasanjo’s support?

Atiku Abubaker has again emerged the presidential candidate of PDP and President Mohammadu Buhari has been affirmed as the standard bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress ticket, with this development, Obasanjo as a patron who decides who becomes the president may have to choose between the two enemies.

But it seems Atiku may be the anointed candidate of the elder statesman.

When Atiku clinches the presidential ticket of the major opposition party, while delivering his acceptance speech, thanked Obasanjo for picking him as his Vice President in 1999, saying without this, he could never have become the PDP presidential candidate today.

“Under his tutelage, I learnt quite a lot, and I believe the experience I have got is going to impact on how I eventually govern this country. I wish to pay my personal tribute to him.”

The Guardian yesterday learnt Obasanjo would eventually support Atiku as he believes Buhari is too rigid.

“Yes, Atiku and Baba have a history. But these days, he has been saying Atiku, despite all his foibles, will at least create more jobs and help to revive the ailing economy.” A source close to Obasanjo had said.