Who is Afraid of Atiku’s Ambition?

For the second time in five months, the Convener of Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju, has asked the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to take a bow from politics and serve as a mentor for the younger generation of politicians.

In a statement issued last week, he urged Atiku to leave behind a legacy of uniting the opposition and pushing for a younger politician to be president of Nigeria. He said Atiku could have had the best shot at the presidency, but allowed a combination of arrogance, inadequate human relationship, inability to manage the opposition, and several other lesser known factors bring him defeat in the polls.

According to him, Atiku should not see himself as the only politician in Nigeria, but must give way for the younger generation of politicians.

He urged him to assume the role of Moses and let history be the judge. Though the activist stressed that one cannot deny the fact that he has contributed a great deal in shaping the Nigerian democracy, he observed that for over three decades, Atiku’s name had appeared prominently in the Nigerian political lexicon.

He said: “From the aborted third republic down to the recently conducted 2023 general election, Alhaji Atiku has played one role or the other in Nigerian politics, with varying results. However, it is now time for him to take a bow from politics and serve as a mentor for the younger generation of politicians.”

Last August, the same Adeyanju had advised Atiku to retire from politics and support a younger person in 2027, saying that politics must not always be about self.

It is surpring why Adeyanju should be dissipating his energy on whether the former vice president wants to take another shot at the presidency in 2027. How has Atiku’s ambition or aspiration jeopardised his chances of venturing into politics? It is surprising why the activist should be blackmailing Atiku to retire from politics when the former vice president did not in any way stop him from contesting for the presidency. Or does Atiku need to retire before he throws himself into the ring?  If delegates decide to vote for the former VP again come 2027, is it not their constitution right?

As powerful, boastful and wealthy as Nyesom Wike thought he was, didn’t Atiku defeat him to secure PDP’s ticket in 2022 for the 2023 presidential election? That is politics.