Park well, Atiku

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has reportedly said he will fight corruption better than Buhari if elected President in 2019

Really? My question is under which party?

If it is under PDP, we know that PDP does not fight corruption, rather it propagates it, almost to the point of making it a state policy.

On other hand, if wants to achieve his ambition under APC we know that only Buhari is fighting corruption in APC. All the other APC chieftains, including Atiku are not exactly committed to the fight. Some are in fact thwarting Buhari’s effort at fighting corruption.

So, under which party platform would Atiku fight corrupt?

But why wait untill he becomes president? Atiku is a chieftain of APC, and APC, on paper, has fighting corruption as one of its cardinal programs.

So why not start fighting corruption now in pursuit of his party’s objective. Atiku can actually start with himself.

For instance, pretending to be in love with the common man’s sachet water when we all know reverse is the case is corruption. Perhaps Atiku can start by jettisoning his public pretence of enjoying sachet water.

Atiku may also jettison his public pretence of his love for poor man’s smoked garri and groundnut. Doing otherwise is corruption.

So is his public pretence of love and compassion for destitute children, some of whom may be victims of his actions or inactions while in government as vice president.

We know all these garri, groundnut and sachet water photo op-eds are tools devised to advance his presidential ambition, and not necessarily a true reflection of the man Atiku. So is his current rhetoric on restructuring and anti-corruption. Those rhetoric themselves were mouthed in corruption.

If anyone is in doubt, here is what former President Olusegun Obasanjo – the man to whom Atiku was vice – said about why he did not let Atiku succeed him. Obasanjo should know. Hear him:

“His (Atiku’s) propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgement, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest………I also stumbled upon a damning report of inquiry carried out on Atiku. I asked one of my predecessors why he did not inform me of how bad the report was and he said that he thought I knew. He said ‘this was a man I wanted to dismiss and jail but for the intervention of Shagaya and Shehu Yar’Adua.’……And knowing all that I discovered about him, what would have been an unpardonable mistake and sin against God would have been to foist him on Nigeria” —- Olusegun Obasanjo, in his book My Watch.”

I am not aware that Atiku has responded to this statement by the former president.

Atiku abeg park well joor

But let’s grant it to the man – he has a right to aspire to be President of Nigeria, and he is eminently qualified for it. My fear though is that Nigerians must, and will always be Nigerians. It is interesting seeing the same opposition elements who said in 2015 that a 72-year old Buhari was too old to be President of Nigeria now wooing 74-year old Atiku to come rule Nigeria in 2019 when he will be 76 years. We are an interesting people.