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Atiku Abubakar ,the
former Vice President who emerged yesterday
as the northern consensus candidate has
become the cynosure of all eyesnow.
Newsdiaryonline learnt that some
governornors are already leaning towards him
already.They
want to play
strategic roles in the forthcoming
wedding of
the former vice president’s daughter
scheduled for December possibly in Yola.
Even media
organizations
that
did not give him much chance are already
asking for
interviews with already.
Furthermore,
revelations
have been unfolding about the intrigues and
reactions to
the return of former vice president
from the Action Congress of Nigeria,
ACN to Peoples Democratic Party,PDP.Though
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa
state among others
tried
to frustrate Atiku, the former vice
president never really had any serious
opposition to his return to the PDP.The
suspicion is that President Jonathan did not
really oppose Atiku’s
return.
Many actually feared he
might not be given the waiver to contest
for the presidency with former president
Obasanjo suspected to be a key influence on
the Jonathan administration.Initially, it
appeared Atiku was not on the list of those
granted waiver by the PDP to run for any
election .The failure to grant Orji Uzor
Kalu former governor of Abia state waiver,
for instance, compelled him to return to his
Progressive People’s Alliance, PPA in
order to
contest the 2011 presidency.
After some intense
intrigues, Atiku eventually got a waiver.A
statement from the vice president’s office
described the waiver granted to him as
victory for democracy.His supporters also
saw the waiver as a sign of good things to
come for the Atiku presidential
ambition.
Newsdiaryonline learnt
that
Atiku’s former boss ,ex President
Olusegun Obasanjo was not impressed by the
waiver granted to the
Turakin Adamawa as the former vice
president is also called..The former
president holds the view, according to a
source, that President Jonathan should have
stopped Atiku from contesting
forelection.That was why Obasanjo told the
president that
he made a mistake by granting waiver to to
the former vice president .According to an
insider, Obasanjo was so furious about the
waiver to Atilku that he asked Jonathan :
``You granted waiver to Atiku? You are
finished’’
But the Jonathan camp seems to believe Atiku is no threat to the president’s chances at the 2011 election.
Ima Niboro, the president’s spokesman in his reaction to the choice of Atiku exuded confidence and spoke with
some condescension and disdain about the emergence of the former vice president.
``Gentlemen,pls ( sic)note that Atiku is the
consensus candidate of the Adamu Ciroma led
NPLF, and not the ‘North’, as is being
mischievously played in the media. This is
unless our definition of the North now
excludes the Middle belt, and large sections
of the North East and sizeable chunk of the
Northwest that have thrown their weight
behind Jonathan-- Ima Niboro.’’ These ere
the words of the presidential spokesman in
an email Monday night.
Equally on his facebook page ,President
Jonathan appeared
like
an aspirant seeking to claim a moral
high-ground as his campaign strategy .The
battle ahead should not be between North and
South but between good and bad.Said Jonathan
on Facebook: ``Fellow
Nigerians, as you notice an upswing in
political activities I want to assure you
that not only will I focus on my sworn
commitment of providing leadership for ALL
Nigerians, I will also run and encourage
others to run a national campaign devoid of
sectionalism because leaders ought to unite
not divide. Again, the only difference we
should look for in Nigeria is between good
and bad not North and South. GEJ’’
For the Atiku camp,according to an
insider,at one of the review sessions on
Monday after the announcement of the
former
vice president’s
name
as consensus candidate, ‘glory is being
given to the Almighty God’
for ensuring his emergence as a
consensus candidate to fly the northern flag
against inscumbent president Jonathan.``Look
this is God’s work.Don’t forget that about
three months ago, Atiku was not even
considered as a PDP member by his
detractors.We just thank God’’
a source
said.
Now, the focus will be on how to clinch the
party ticket.Can Atiku dislodge Jonathan? Is
an upset waiting to happen? Only time will
tell.
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