majority of Nigerians have come to terms with the unfortunate reality of bad governance and lack of leadership that has been our lot in the past six years of the misadventure called All Progressives Congress (APC). Having tested two proverbial “husbands”, Nigerians now know that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) offers a better hope for the ordinary citizens of our country.
The PDP is widely perceived as the Biblical “Ark of Noah” on a rescue mission to bail our country out of despondency, despair, poverty, insecurity, and polarisation along religious, tribal and primordial divisive tendencies. It is on record that since independence, Nigeria, as a nation, has never been this divided and disillusioned.
It is in view of the above and much more that the PDP needs to get it right this time, in order to rise up to the high expectations of Nigerians, who are earnestly looking forward to it to present a Moses that will rescue them from slavery that this present administration has subjected them to.
The first step towards getting it right is to jettison all personal, sectional and regional considerations in the national interest by looking beyond all the above sentiments in her quest to present its very best to earn the confidence of the people at the polls.
If the PDP is to play the above role that destiny has bestowed on the party, then its presidential flag bearer must, among other qualities, possess a cross-cutting personality, good understanding of issues, be it economic, political or social
He must also be endowed with the ability to harness the great potentials of the country’s greatness, and be a good manager of men/ women and materials.
The envisaged personality must possess the prerequisite capacity to deploy his skills to properly utilize the strength of the nation’s diversities in the overall interest of the Nigerian people.
He or she must also have a national perspective that would earn him/her the trust of all Nigerians irrespective of tribal and religious persuasions. All these are unfortunately missing in the current leadership of our dear country.
The politics, personality and times of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria, cannot be wished away in the history of our country. He stands positively tall among his peers.
He is a man who combines the rare attributes of a heart of humility, vast network of associates across the length and breadth of Nigeria, highly cerebral, a great and deep thinker, a unifier and a bridge builder.
He has over the years emerged as a rallying point, man who can be trusted, not bigoted, a believer in equity, justice and fairness, highly experienced in governance (private and public), and a man who is truly trusted, bold and courageous and whose love and passion for our country is undeniable.
Does he fit into what the PDP and Nigeria needs at this critical juncture in our nation? The answer is unarguably yes. Nigeria has never been this divided. Ours has become a country without citizens. We have only regional, tribal, and religious leaders, bereft of statesmen.
Atiku belongs to an endangered species of statesmen who can unite our country and move us forward. His personality is cross-cutting, having built political, economic and personal relationships with many people across the length and breadth of Nigeria, irrespective of their differences. He can deploy the same to birth a new united, diverse and progressive tribe of leaders.
He commands the love of many; he is “trustable”, relatable and reliable. The former Vice President is a peacemaker. He is endowed with a divine ability to resolve issues, the latest being the great role he and others played in establishing and helping the PDP to weather the storms before and during its last convention. He is cool (so cool that his children nicknamed him “Daddy Cool”), calm and dependable.
He commands the respect of various segments of the Nigerian society – youths, women, elders etc. Atiku is mentally and physically sound. He is imbued with an uncommon grasp of issues, in-depth knowledge of economic matters and is a grand master in the art of politicking (a combination of attributes for good leadership).
He is also blessed with sound health uncommon for his age. No one can accuse the Adamawa-born politician of tribal and religious bigotry.
These twin divisive tendencies have been our bane over the years as a nation. They are the main reasons for our current stagnation, underdevelopment, lack of unity and progress.
Atiku is shoulder high above his contemporaries in this regard. His circle of close associates proves this. The key appointments he made while in government and even in his private life is a great pointer to his detribalized nature and personality.
Truth is he perceives Nigeria as his constituency and relates with people based on merit and their humanity
PIONEER NEWS 