‘Atikulating’ the Next Vice President by Obori Adaka
‘Atikulating’ sounds fine and dandy. However, there is much work ahead. The road is not going to be rosy because the man seating in Aso Rock is nothing but a prop for a cabal who allegedly swore to hang onto power.
The South-West should produce a technocrat; a politically sagacious young man to fly the flag of PDP with His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The South-East has an already made political intellectual waiting in the wing to lead the National Assembly.......Obori Adaka
Congratulations to His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on overwhelmingly winning the PDP presidential ticket. It was a tough contest featuring 12 other aspirants and the best part being that PDP showcased to the world her new democratic credentials and rebranded self as it pulled off a free, fair and transparent live-primary election in the full view of Nigerians. For this singular accomplishment I salute the People’s Democratic Party for producing a known quantity, the former vice president with years of business and political experience, as the presidential candidate.
In United States whose presidential system Nigeria adopted, the very first task of a nominated presidential candidate is the selection of a vice presidential candidate. The first chore tops the agenda of the brand-new PDP presidential candidate. The selection should and must be done right and will be done after due consultation with party stakeholders and diligent search and vetting of the potential candidates who will be the running mate to jointly fly the PDP flag. Unlike United States, Nigerian political terrain is much more difficult to navigate. This piece sheds lights on the new word ‘Atikulating’ as we analyze the political environment in relationship to the selection of political positions, specifically the best path to find the most suitable running mate to fly the PDP flag to victory.
Perhaps, the national convention of PDP and the nomination of the former vice president presented the word ‘Atikulating’ to the lexicon of Nigeria vocabulary. We know that to articulate is to express ideas fluently and coherently however the new word has much more deeper meaning that captures the current political climate of the day. It is a word related to the nominee which is more of a culmination of the political will, material resources, political sagacity and sheer gravitas needed to dislodge the mistake of 2015 that currently occupies Aso Rock. When you are ‘Atikulating’, it is loosely translated to engaging in actions and activities geared towards achieving the singular goal of retiring President Buhari to Daura then employing all legal, political and necessary means to get it done.
This brings us to the search for the vice presidential candidate who will be well-rounded technocrat and experienced politician, a man or woman who is keyed into the project with the sole goal to save Nigeria from the grip of incompetence and lifelessness. The VP nominee must be ready to work with the next President Atiku to transform Nigeria into an economically prosperous haven.
However, in the parlance of zoning, which I personally do not support because of its taint of mediocrity and unproductivity, Candidate Atiku is from the North East. There is at least one or more aspirants from each of the three zones of the North. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the presidency was zoned to the North but not specifically to any of the three geo-political zone of the North. Then the vice president is be zoned to the South meaning South-East, South-South and South-West.
Expectedly, the decision of the specific Southern zone to produce VP will have to align with the meaning and understanding of ‘Atrikulating’ –doing every and anything legally and political possible return President Buhari to Daura and save Nigeria from the his administration’s daily incompetence. The two zones of South-East and South-South have a combined voting strength of 15 million votes. These two zones stood with PDP through thick and thin. They have every reason to be laying claim to the coveted slot of vice presidential candidate. However, with the current Vice President Osibajo of APC from the South-West along with the major forces of Jagaban in the alliance that brought APC to power, and the South-West 14 million votes, the zone should not be ignored in the search for VP.
In line with ‘Atikulating’ the South-East who stood firm while bearing the brunt of PMB nepotistic misrule ordinarily should be expected to produce VP, however such assertion could be akin to sharing the spoil of war while several battles are still raging. The combined voting strength of both South-South and South-East do not support the political battle needed to get the job done. As they say in the game of strategy, “the best defense is a good offense”; leaving your opponent defending instead of attacking. APC is on defensive in South-West trying to fathom benefits accruing from Vice President Osibajo for the past three and half years. Also, in Lagos the shabby treatment of a performing Governor by a known godfather placed the state within a striking range. In view of the above, it is my humble opinion to yield the VP slot to the South-West for maximum political impact of taking the fight to the APC turf.
Quite understandably, there will be loud naysaying from my South-East but as they say the patient dog usually end up with the fattest bone. The choice of South-West is to wrest power from PMB however after we have the power there are enough spoils of war to reach all the zones. It will be politically foolish to start to share the spoils of a war you have not won. The South -East who have been relegated to nothing stands a solid chance to head the legislative arm of the federal government by producing the next Senate-President. The South-South held the presidency for five years and will be rewarded with a top position as well as the rest of the zones.
In conclusion, ‘Atikulating’ sounds fine and dandy. However, there is much work ahead. The road is not going to be rosy because the man seating in Aso Rock is nothing but a prop for a cabal who allegedly swore to hang onto power. It is not going to be a cake walk but it is doable if the teaming Nigerians dedicate enough time and efforts towards achieving this onerous goal. Therefore, who gets what should be relegated to the background and be replaced by what has to be done to get the goal accomplished. The South-West should produce a technocrat; a politically sagacious young man to fly the flag of PDP with His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The South-East has an already made political intellectual waiting in the wing to lead the National Assembly. Nigeria will be on the path to economic prosperity if we adhere to reasons over sentiments.
Obori Adaka, a social commentator and political analyst, writes from Enugu, Nigeria
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