By Kabiru Dalha
In his book Not My Watch, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo wrote so much about his former Deputy of eight years, Alh Atiku Abubakar, who incidentally, is the PDP’s Presidential candidate of the coming 2019 elections. Most of the what chief Obasanjo wrote in his book are damaging words against Atiku, exposing how terrible Atiku can be as a leader, and apart from the book, chief Obasanjo held several interviews in which he was very categorical about his reasons of opposing his East while Deputy to become the number one citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Among the major reasons that chief Obasanjo gave then and in his book is that “Alh Atiku Abubakar is very corrupt”. In fact in one of the interviews Obasanjo granted he said and I quote; ” if you know what I know about Atiku, if I present him for President even God will not happy with me…” No matter how you try to interpret this, you will understand that it is not a good thing. It was that bad.
Among the numerous cases of Alh Atiku Abubakar which were mentioned by Chief Obasanjo, was a case that involved an American company and an American Senator who, due to that particular case that involved Alh Atiku, was convicted and jailed in the United States, it is said that Alh Atiku Abubakar is wanted in the United States of America to possibly serve his term or otherwise, and for that reason Alh Atiku Abubakar cannot put his legs on the soil of the United States of America. Well, that is the story going round.
The point is nobody give a damn about whether Atiku visit America or not then, because it was his issue, and not anybody’s else, but the issue now comes up because Alh Atiku Abubakar is no more that ordinary Atiku, he is now a Presidential contender of the main opposition party the PDP. Recently, the people in the PDP, in trying to convince Nigerians that their candidate Alh Atiku has no case with the United States of America, told Nigerians that their Presidential candidate will be visiting America at the end of November 2019, because according to them, he applied for the American visa and America is willing to give it to him. And this particular visa application became a campaign issue of sort both against or for, depending on which side one is. Anyway November has passed since three days ago, but I think according PDP campaign itenary, Alh Atiku is supposed to be in Sokoto today for the flag off of his presidential campaign.
Sadly, the opposition party is taken a lot of time in explaining whether their candidate will get visa to visit America or not. You see, my annoyance is what has looking for my vote got to do with Atiku visiting America or not?
Will that visa issue put the food on my table? Why should the major opposition party waste so much time and resources in trying to convince us that their candidate has no issue with the USA?
What has getting US visa got to do with delivering good governance in Nigeria?
Can’t they see that we are talking about issues here not personal egos?
I think the PDP should be more concern with the damage control of their 16 years rulership than investing in what will rather sink them further to the pit than help them. I said this because if the US government can jail her own citizen, a Senator for that matter, based on the same case that involved Alh Atiku Abubakar, who is not her citizen, then we must understand that it is just a matter of time. Whether Alh Atiku go to USA or not is immaterial because it will not wipe the fact that he was involved in that case, if he is involved, the record is very clear about that fact.
So, please the opposition should just concentrate on telling Nigerians how their candidate has changed from when he was the Vice President of President Obasanjo, who on many occasions publicly accused Atiku to be pathologically corrupt individual and not fit to hold any public office talk less of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, than waste their time in convincing us that their candidate can visit America.
What we really NEED TO HEAR IS HOW HE CAN DELIVER GOOD GOVERNANCE TO US UPON ALL THE EXCESS BAGGAGE HE IS CARRYING, NOT HOW HE CAN GET AN AMERICAN VISA.
It may also be of help to the PDP and their candidate Alh Atiku Abubakar, if they can convince Chief Obasanjo to, apart from the endorsement of Atiku, to please REWRITE HIS BOOK, ‘MY WATCH’ OR IS IT ‘NOT MY WATCH’, because as the book is now, it is really helping us to understand so easily the real Character called Alh Atiku Abubakar, and I am telling you what the old man wrote is really scary.
It is a decision time and every little thing matters.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF GOING TO AMERICA WHEN NIGERIA IS WHERE THE IMAGE IS?
Kabir Dalha Kabir
