ADC: Atiku out, Obi in – The underwhelming end to Atiku’s 25-year Marabouts-inspired Political Odyssey

By Femi Orebe
Given the excessive hoopla now ŏcascading the ranks of  members and supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) since being joined by Mallam Mohammed Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE FNIQS, former governor of Kano state (1999 – 2003 and from 2011 – 2015), Minister of Defence and later, one – term senator representing the good people of Kano Central Senatorial District, one thing has become quite obvious, namely: that his movement is not just being seen as a case of the ‘more the merrier’ but, rather that this is one Northern catch to have on their Presidential ticket rather than the revered, but serial election

loser, the Waziri Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar who, being a consumate financier of political parties at elections, most Nigerians have assumed would head the party’s Presidential ticket.

That being the case, it would then follow, logically, that the other front runner, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour party Presidential candidate, would now be expected to head the team with new comer, Rabiu Kwankwaso as the Vice- Presidential  candidate since the ticket cannot, constitutionally consist of two Northerners.

This, I suspect, must be one reason the likes of Kenneth Okonkwo, an Igbo member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party , have been waxing lyrical of late.

That fact will also mean that former President Obasanjo has successfully escaped the wrath he feared God might inflict on him if , with all he claims to know, Atiku ever became the Nigerian President.  It is, therefore, already looking like Obasanjo has got his boy, no mentee, Peter Obi, ( probably one of the reasons he failed in ’23)  exactly where he wanted him since he has been canvassing an Obi/ Kwankwaso ticket which I earlier poo – poo-ed in an article on these pages.

I urge the reader to  consider the above  scenario as the logic behind the article you are about to read.

But then this will not be Obi’s first attempt at the Presidency and with all the ethno- religious baggage he carries, some of which this essay would touch on, we shall wait and see how far he goes.

The article is, therefore, something of a dirge on Atiku Abubakar’s long and spirited -attempts  at trying to become Nigeria’s Number One Citizen.