By Louis Okoroma
The close and warm relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would normally only be found in fairy tales. It is something that could only be possible in fables because each of these men, being great in their own rights, followed different pathways to greatness.
Even in politics, where the two have become close pals, they started off on different platforms until fate brought them together, albeit in the quest for the same prize.
Both PMB and Atiku Abubakar have contested for the presidency three times. While the 2015 polls was the fourth time PMB would contest before he clinched it, for Atiku, popularly known as the Turaki (Adamawa), the 2015 APC primary election for the presidency, was the third. It was on the convention ground, on the battle field, that these two great men met, with other gladiators for the ultimate prize of the presidential flag of the APC, although book makers had only Atiku and Buhari in their books as the men to watch.
With the insistence and help of the leadership of the now ruling All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar, a veteran of the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he left because of the latter’s’ hijacking by people with poor democratic leanings, decided to stay put in the APC and fight for a new government and a new party in power, or as is now popular, to fight for change in last year’s national elections. The rest is history.
Atiku Abubakar is a practical man and an ambitious politician. However, as a politician with Nigeria and the betterment of its people as his agenda and prime reason for politics, he found a soul mate in President Buhari, a man equally passionate about making Nigeria a better country. This meeting of minds led to the historic alignment of forces that made possible the great victory of the 2015 Presidential election with Atiku deploying much of his political resources to give the fledging APC the historic triumph that it recorded.
The wise and simple man that he is, the Mai Gaskiya has not forgotten and this has led to the two men forging a formidable political alliance that is set to change Nigeria for good and give the people of this country the better country that they yearn after, a country where things work.
The cooperation and friendship between these two men is albeit a quiet one, and it is doubtful whether most people and even political observers are aware of it. Atiku, the practical politician, has ensured that things get done as long as the country stands to benefit from these.
When the former administration of President Jonathan wanted its former Minister for Agriculture to become the President of the African Development Bank (ADB) at a time when the latter’s’ tenure had more or less expired, it wisely enlisted the support and goodwill of PMB. Seeing the election as an asset to Nigeria and putting politics aside, PMB concurred. PMB, in turn, as a realist who knows the international profile and mileage that the Turaki can cover, made Atiku Abubakar a special envoy, to use his diplomatic influence to ensure that Dr. Adesina got the ADB job to the glory of Nigeria! Atiku delivered.
Atiku Abubakar has been playing other strategic and critical roles that would assist the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and indeed, the ruling APC realise the promises they made to the electorate. The task before PMB, which he is totally committed to achieving are economic revival, employment creation and the defeat of domestic insurgency, followed by the rehabilitation of the millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the troubled North-East zone of the country.
Given all the above and in view of the dire straits the nation finds itself, one would expect that other leaders – politicians, business people etc., would be happy at, applaud and promote the warm relationship between the Turaki Adamawa and President Buhari. On the contrary, much effort is being exerted by certain forces, within and outside the ruling party to sour this beautiful relationship and bring it to an end. The reason is to hurt the amiable Atiku and put his rumoured political ambition in jeopardy. This is even at a time the Buhari administration is yet to clock one year and the Turaki or any serious-minded politician has no reason to declare any political ambition for now, bearing in mind that there is not yet a vacancy at the Presidential Villa.
Some busy-bodies and enemies of the nation are already busy planning for 2019 rather than lending a helping hand to PMB; and thinking that the Turaki is doing the same, they are all out insinuating everything under the sun, for selfish purposes.
However, one is glad that PMB is focused, knowing full well that he has an important mandate from Nigerians to make the country work and be at peace. Nobody can choose his friends for him, more so, when this particular friend, Atiku Abubakar, is one man who can get things done, in more places than one.
Okoroma wrote from Abuja
