As a journalist during the military dictatorship and the period thereafter, I had the rare and distinct honour, exposure and privilege to interview and interact – singly or collectively – with the four leading presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria. They are Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) and Peter Obi of Labour Party. Therefore, my professional interaction with them gave me certain knowledge to be able to approximate their intellectual capacity, presence of mind, public and private demeanours, if you like call it body language.
Of course, I have kept a file on all of them which consists of both pleasant and not-too-pleasant dossiers. As a journalist who prides himself on the investigative hue, armed with a Law degree, I am very deliberate in my relationship and assessment of politicians and public office holders.
As we gradually approach the 2023 presidential election, this is a critical juncture to evaluate and showcase the underbelly of these candidates as Nigeria is at crossroads, a very momentous stage of its life, indeed, at a cliff hanger.
Any slip, it could tip off, and badly so. Hence, we are duty bound to say what we know about the leading presidential candidates in order for the electorate to make informed choices. But such disclosures must be done within the professional ambit of law and journalism.
I was a very young journalist 30 years ago at the Jos Township Stadium, when Atiku ran for the Presidency on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He came third, behind Chief M. K. O. Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, in spite of being backed by the most formidable political machine at that time, led by late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. All his scheming to be nominated as the Vice-Presidential Candidate to Abiola was resisted by the SDP governors, led by Chief Odigie John Oyegun, Alhaji Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Chief Segun Osoba of Edo, Yobe and Ogun States respectively.
These governors have always been too powerful!
Sadly, 30 long years after that fateful day, Atiku is still running for President of the country. What does he really want? Is it that the oxygen of his life is being in government? When he got the opportunity to serve as the Vice-President, was he sterling and exemplary? That Nigerians have constantly rejected him thereafter provides an answer to such inquiries.
As the Chairman of the National Economic Council, which supervised the Bureau of Public Enterprises, how did that project fare under him? Certainly, Nigerians can still remember what happened to NITEL.
Why was Aluminum Smelter Company, Ikot Abasi, in Akwa Ibom State, sold for peanuts and to whom? What happened to Delta Steel Company, Aladja? What about Transcorp Hotel in Abuja? And, also Daily Times and numerous others?
How many of these privatised companies are viable ongoing concerns today? If indeed, the privatisation programme under the supervision of Atiku as Vice President was a sham, can we honestly entrust the nation’s economy and politics to a man who sold off our national assets to cronies and vested interests?
The former Vice President is wont to always say he is the most investigated man but never found wanting. But the question is why is he always a subject of investigation for corruption all the time? What does he do that warrants such searchlights? As for his not being found wanting, the revelation by his former close aide sums it up – usage of Special Purpose Vehicle. Little wonder, that others always took the fall. Congress man Jefferson comes to mind.
The United States described Atiku as a man living on free government money. The conduct of one of his wives in the U.S. left much to be desired.
When I was the Editor-in-Chief of INSIDER WEEKLY, we did a story on oil theft where Atiku and the then National Security Adviser, Major-General Aliyu Gusau were fingered. The story titled: Aso Rock’s Oil Bunkering Scandal, Akitu, Gusau linked was published on edition 47, dated 24 November 2003.
That led to my arrest along with two of my professional colleagues. We were all detained at the notorious Panti Police Station, Yaba, Lagos, for two days before we were charged at the Magistrate Court.
We committed to defending ourselves and veracity of the story. Therefore, we attended the court’s sessions diligently. Unfortunately, Atiku and his goons failed to prosecute their case until it was struck out for lack of diligent prosecution. Can such a man be trusted to combat oil theft and revitalise the oil industry in Nigeria?
Now, the picture is getting clearer: General Gusau today is probably the biggest backer of Atiku’s current political adventure. If anyone noticed, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State came late to the venue of PDP primary last year. That was because he was held hostage by Gusau, who made him to commit to not only stepping down for Atiku but also directing his supporters to vote for him. That Tambuwal did gleefully.
I will be subjectively objective in Tinubu’s assessment. Of all the presidential candidates under review, Tinubu is the only one I can call a friend.
We had a history together. As one of the prominent members of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) abroad, I visited him often in his house in New Cavendish, London, and also in Bowie, Maryland, U.S.A., for interviews and comparing of notes on the state of the struggle against the booming military tyranny of late General Sani Abacha.
Consequently, I will not be able to embark on full disclosures because what can be described as his inadequacies and limitations would have been made known to me, either because the man confided in me, or that he left himself open to me to observe from close quarters because he trusted me.
Either ways, it would be callous and irresponsible of me to divulge such information simply because I don’t agree or support his present political ambition. Trust is a valuable and unvarnished commodity of human relationship that must be preserved in war and peace times.
Fortunately, everything about Tinubu is already in the public domain and the electorate should be a better judge.
I freely describe myself as a Kano man. I spent a greater part of my youthful years, if not all, in Kano City. The city was nice to me, and I am emotionally attached to Kano State with several of my brothers and sisters there. That was the city that gave me three prominent fathers – late Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule (Danmasanin Kano), late Lawan Dambazau, and my Baba, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai.
My closest brother, Nasir Zahradeen; my great friends, Abdulkarim Daiyabu, late Dr. Junaid Muhammed, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim and a host of others are what Kano gifted me.
Therefore, I was bound to know Kwankwaso. Incidentally, he was an upcoming and little known politician then when Engr. Magaji Abdullahi, Alhaji Aminu Inuwa strongly supported by former Kano State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and Ahmadu Rufai dominated Kano politics and had a bloody dog fight on who to be the SDP governorship candidate. The unresolved fight opened the door for Architect Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya – now a Senator – of the then National Republican Convention to became governor in 1992. It appears the weaknesses and unresolved disputes between the political gladiators became his strength when politics resumed in 1999.
My first encounter with Kwankwaso was in 1993, when he was elected as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. My friend, Mohammed Garba, the present Information Commissioner in Kano State, was his Chief Press Secretary, and facilitated an interview with him. We wanted to know his position on the raging struggle for the validation of 12 June 1993 presidential election won by Abiola. The interview was published in TELL magazine edition 39 dated 4 October 1993, titled: I believe in June 12.
With the rave of Kwankwasiya movement, Kwankwaso became a household name in Kano and spreading across some Northern States. But he is often described as an arrogant politician who doesn’t tolerate dissenting views. I must confess that only a few Nigerian politicians are exception to this accusation. Credit must be given to him for standing firm so far. Kwankwaso has come under the influence of the Northern General mobilising traditional rulers and eminent Northerners to force him to step down for Atiku.
So far, Kwankwaso has shown character by insisting that he is a better candidate than Atiku, and therefore, will not step down. However, his formation of a new political party and running for an election concurrently is a tall order. Also, for those who canvass the need for geopolitical justice, the timing of his aspiration now is blurry.
Who then, merits the votes of most Nigerians at this critical time of our national life?
Incidentally, Obi is the only politician I never interviewed directly among the four leading presidential candidates. But my organisation did an extensive work on him during his legal battles to reclaim his mandate, and thereafter.
Since then, I have kept a file on him, too. He has the leanest file in my custody, followed by Kwankwaso. The files are lean because there are no voluminous documents on allegations of corrupt practices, no contract papers, invoices, and other such conduits for stealing public funds.
There is no gainsaying the fact that a nation is as developed as the quality of its education. Obi, by my record, was the first Governor to purchase 30,000 HP Laptops for Secondary School students in his state.
Not even the touted state of Eldorado, Lagos State, provided laptops for secondary school students in 2006.
Only Kwankwaso also came close to Obi in his policy on education, which saw many Kano State students sent abroad for further studies on full scholarship.
At the time, almost all the governors left their states in debt. Obi was the only one who embarked on addressing the infrastructural deficit and holistic development of his state without borrowing.
Apart from saving money for tomorrow, which some have criticised as ‘warehouse economy’ as against investments, they forgot to appreciate that nations like Singapore, Malaysia, and some of the Asian Tigers were built on Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF, which is saving for the rainy day.
Perhaps, the most inspiring quality of true and committed leadership exhibited by Obi is his refusal to parasitically live on his state of Anambra for life by awarding humongous pension and retirement benefits to himself.
Not even the labour unionist-turned politician, Adams Oshiomhole could resist the undeserved retirement benefits. In spite of the poor economy of Edo State, Oshiomhole like his mentor, Tinubu, gifted himself a retirement benefit that could make Bill Gates envious.
The dynamism of Obi’s leadership and charisma is evident from the way and manner he has built Labour Party, and made it attractive to all and sundry. Since Obi’s emergence as presidential candidate of LP, the party has become the fastest growing and most liked in the country today, all within a year.
This is a feat that those who rode to public limelight and prominence like Oshiomhole could not do in several years. If given the chance, Obi will make Nigeria stable and attractive again, as he has done to the Labour Party.
His untainted public service records, charisma, physical and mental capacity as manifest on the campaign trail are unmatchable.
More edifying is the rare combination of purpose, mission and vision between Obi and his vice presidential candidate, Datti Baba Ahmed. They are a match fit for this time and age, the age of knowledge and sedate reasoning.
Above all, this may appear trite but very profound and significant in the development of man and society. An older person always tend to look down on a younger person, sometimes to the point of condescension, especially when it comes to ambition. The usual refrain is, why are you so much in a hurry, after all you are still young.
Hence any politician older than Nigeria tends to look down on the country and does not appreciate the need to accelerate the wheels of development. After all, the country is young in their eyes and can still fool around.
The Obi/Datti ticket is the only one that both candidates are younger than Nigeria. They will see the urgent need to speedy the wheels of development and rub shoulders with other great nations of the world.
Consequently, as we get ready to vote as Nigerians we must appreciate that these are very delicate times to teach our politicians a lesson in democracy that we the people decide who will govern us.
Hence, this is not the time to reward failure by voting APC that has plunged the country into a mess, neither is it the time to recycle failure by voting PDP, which for 16 years, laid the foundation for APC’s ruination of the country in the last eight years.
Director, a journalist and lawyer, lives in Lagos
