ATIKU’S EMERGENCE: WHY AMAECHI IS THE BEST OPTION FOR APC VICTORY IN 2023.
The emergence of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar as the standard flagbearer for PDP in next year’s presidential election is no longer news but a stark reality. Accordingly, I join other Nigerians to congratulate him( Atiku) for his victory at the primaries even though he painfully defeated my Ikwerre brother and State governor(Wike) who came second. I congratulate him too for a good effort.
Going forward, I believe that the emergence of Atiku should necesarilly simulate the APC to put its house in order ahead of its presidential primaries next week.
In view of Atiku’s emergence,for me,the first thing for the APC to consider right now is who amogst its teeming Presidential aspirants can really match the towering political profile and status of Atiku that could ensure victory for the APC in 2023.
APC can begin this search and consideration by narrowing and scaling down its aspirants to just FOUR in the first instance.
Without much rhetorics and literary embelishments, and if i could so choose or suggest for the APC, I will definitely narrow my choice to Amaechi, Tinubu, Osibanjo and Ahmed Lawan in terms of pedigree. And amognst these four, and in terms of wide and rich political contact/ network and needed experience over time, I will further scale down or narrow to *Amaechi and Tinubu.*
But who does the odds favour between Amaechi and Tinubu for the APC and Nigeria as a Nation. I will resolve this using two important national parameters.
First, Let’s look at the feelings and reactions of Nigerians on the emergence of Atiku even amongst his PDP membership, which i think the APC should critically look into in choosing its presidential candidate.
The major issue of complain and grumble amongst Nigerians especially within the PDP is the fact that PDP jettisoned its zoning practice to favour the North against the South, noting that the North has already produced the National Chairman of the Party, pursuant to zoning the presidency to the South because that is where zoning actually begins and or starts. As it stands today in the PDP, the North has both the National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu and the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubarkar; how unfair this is to the South, a situation that questions national unity.
In view of this unfortunate scenario, the question to my mind and I believe that of Nigerians is, can the APC afford to repeat this kind of costly mistake/error made by the PDP which has led to widespread condemnation especially in the South- East/South- South region of the Southern Nigeria and in some parts of the North. If truly the APC wants to win in 2023, can it afford to be insensitive to this anomally and seathed grudge within and amongst Nigerians in modern day Nigerian politics where political awarenes and consciousnes is so high? Should the APC not rather guage the mood of the Nation right now and smartly capitalise on the percieved PDP error and its attendant misgivings and ensure it wins over the hearts of Nigerians by presenting a sound minded Southern candidate that will take over as the next President after 8 solid years of Buhari presidency? *To me, with Atiku’s emergence in the PDP, a Southern candidate with a rich National content and value is now desirable and imperative for the APC more than ever .*
Secondly, if APC should present a Southern candidate as is reasonably expected of it, and having narrowed down our choice to Tinubu and Amaechi in the final two in terms of their long standing political experience and wide human and institutional contact and network, necessary to match, deAticulate and defeat Atiku in a general election, which of them does the odds favour the most?
Having agreed that both Amaechi and Tinubu have the required political experience, contact and wide network in Nigeria to win election for APC in 2023, my problem and deep concern is that in a circular Nation as ours, and in a Nation that is divinely made up majorly and predominantly of Muslim and christain religeous faith, looking at the larger picture, can Nigerians afford, accept and tolerate the assumption of office as the next President a Southern Muslim(Tinubu in this instance) after 8 years of a Northern Muslim president(Buhari)? Or can a Northern Muslim(Atiku or any of the Northern aspirants within the APC) immediately succeed a Northern Muslim President(Buhari)?
Let me note that our failure as a nation or that of Ibrahim Babangida in particular, not to allow the free and fair election won by late Moshhood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe as President and Vice President respectivlely in June 1993,clearly robbed this great Nation Nigeria of a golden opportunity to overcome this scenario that i have just highlighted and painted vividly here, which unfortunately is still where we are at this moment of our national life and which obviously we cannot remedy just 7 to 8 months to the 2023 general elections. Within this ambit of analysis, to me, this is the greatest undoing of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and what makes his presidential quest and that of others in his similar position a stilbirth.
Let me also note and remind us that in tacit application, justification and imlementation of this sensitive geopolitical and religeous balance, former President Obasanjo, a christain Southerner, handed over power in 2007, to a Northern Muslim ( Umar Musa Yaradua) who in turn chose a Southern christain (GoodLuck Jonathan) as his Vice.
Also, President Buhari, a Northern Muslim,took over in 2015 from a Southern christain GoodLuck Jonathan and naturaly is expected to handover power to christain
It is also important to note that the APC is just 7 years in existence and in government. Clearly, the first APC-produced President of Nigeria is Mohammadu Buhari a democrat to the core and a Northern Muslim. Will the second APC-produced President of Nigeria after Buhari be another Muslim whether from the South or from the North?
Linking and situating this to a past decision of the APC, one would want to know, in 2015,was Osibanjo the original choice for the office of the Vice President? Why did the APC make u- turn from the original Buhari/Tinubu pairing for the presidency? Did APC leadership not quickly realise that the originally tabled Buhari/ Tinubu Muslim Muslim ticket will not only be rejected or go down well with Nigerians but would have naturaly led to APC defeat at that 2015 elections, reason why Osibanjo was hurriedly but painstakenly drafted to replace Tinubu.
It is therefore imprtant that we are mindful of these precedents especially by the APC ahead of its forthcoming presidential primaries.
From the overview,surely the odds favour Amaechi, a Southern devout christain of Catholic faith, a knight of Saint John and a papal knight, a loyal and committed Party man and a detribalised Nigerian. *”A general of the common sense revolution” as Tinubu will aptly describe him* . He is the first Presidential Campaign DG to defeat an incumbent government in the history of Nigeria. And twice he delivered as the DG, winning election for Buhari and the APC in 2015 and 2019. Let’s give him( AMAECHI) the ticket. He knows the art of winning and he is divinely positioned to win the presidency for the APC. He has age on his side, posesses outstanding courage, capacity and long term experience in the art of governance and management of human and material resources.
He is a complete Nigerian, he is Ibo(Chibuike), Yoruba( Rotimi), NigerDelta of Ikwerre extraction( Amaechi). He is Hausa, *the Dan Ama are Daura* . He is the best option to face Atiku and win the Presidential election for APC in 2023.
Chief Alex Wele
is a political commentator/analyst and a citizen with deep passion for a better and united Nigeria.
JUNE 1st 2023
