Can Cheney trash and thrash President Bush and the Republican party, and the war policy in Iraq, over and over and over again, then Cheney joins another party and then seeks to use taxpayer purchased vehicles and jets to campaign against President Bush and the Republican party? NO. Cheney has been part of the Bush White House and government and policies for seven and half years…. Just as Atiku has been part of Aso Rock and Obasanjo’s policies and government for seven and a half years.
What do some Nigerians miss? That enable them to dream of Atiku as a champion of democracy, rule of law and due process?
Atiku should resign or be impeached, then he could use his illegally acquired wealth, his ABTI University in Yola, and his mansion in Maryland USA as pawns for money for his campaign with Action Congress… Active Crooks, or is it Associated Crooks? Why must the former VP be allowed to use government cars and government planes for his private campaign on behalf of Active Crooks or is it Associated Crooks?
Why must Nigerian taxpayers foot the bill for Mr. Atiku’s campaign with AC? Has Atiku not stolen enough public money? Perhaps it is better to ignore the former VP Atiku. It will ensure his irrelevance! Sometimes, I feel I rather that, than allow this Atiku, who now appears and sounds like a wounded venomous snake, drag everyone and Nigeria to a political precipice! His wings do need to be clipped.
I have actually suggested in the past that it was probably better and cost effective to ignore the former VP of Nigeria, Mr. Atiku and his antics… pointedly ignoring him will rapidly relegate and consign him to the junkyard of political irrelevance! BUT…I will not agree with anyone’s suggestion to the effect that, the only way President Obasanjo will maintain his status as statesman… (which he undoubtedly is), is for our president to allow Mr. Atiku to trash the presidency, ridicule it, ridicule the person of President Obasanjo and his PDP…. and then, Mr. Atiku takes the vice presidential jet for a spin…. on campaign tour for Action Congress, NO, Active Crooks…. apologies to Mr. Adebayo Animashaun…. is completely unacceptable!
I am sure that the FORMER VP of Nigeria, Mr. Atiku can afford a private jet for his campaign as Active Crooks’ presidential candidate! He can sell his mansion in Maryland and buy a jet for his campaign! or he can sell his University in Yola to fund the AC campaigns! Atiku is an opportunistic dishonorable man without courage! And a cross section of Nigerians agree with my position; Mr. Alagemo wrote and I quote
Atiku can’t play on both sides of the fence. He is either in this “corrupt” administration and in the “dying” PDP or he is NOT. He has chosen to neither belong to the Obj government nor to the PDP so why should he keep the privileges both afford? I believe he should not be allow to and this is without prejudice to whatever the constitution says since we can make it say anything we want. Irrespective of who is more corrupt between them the onus in this particular issue is on Atiku. Clearly Atiku have chosen to fight Obj and PDP so they have the right to fight him back and his hiding behind mandate and constitution and courts and such is simply folly. Atiku wants to wage a battle without first drawing the battle lines. Thats dangerous. This is not a constitutional crisis. It is a crisis of irresponsibility, one that can only arises when you want to eat your cake and still have it.
Another Nigerian with the pseudonym, No Smoking, also commented that; There was no need for a sitting VP to be engaged in dispute with his boss the President. If they had a difference of opinion such that the VP felt he could not continue to serve under the boss, the honourable thing is to call it a day and quit. This is happening everyday in businesses around the world.
Ukiwe as a military VP under IBB was able to stand up to oppose his boss. He lost his job quickly and was retired from the Navy. His opinion, nevertheless, helped the Nigerian public to understand that IBB and the Caliphate were heading the country towards an undisclosed agenda. The revelation brought about a cessation of that drive, as the press hounded the dictator to a stand-still. Ukiwe has remained an unsung hero by taking that stand. That is what is expected from men of honor.
I thank these Nigerians indeed, for their analyses, it is as if, some other Nigerians, particularly, Atiku supporters, are not capable of deciphering the sequence of events or cause and effects… but instead, their warped and twisted emotions led them to conclude that Atiku is Mr. Democracy, Mr. Rule of Law and Mr. Due Process …AND to all that, I say BULL!
Clearly, Atiku Abubakar is a hypocrite pontificating sanctimoniously as some messiah for democracy, the rule of law, due process and good governance and Nigerians should not be suckered into Atiku’s lies! Atiku Abubakar is self-absorbed and self-consumed with his political ambition. He is no messiah! He had no higher ideals while he was a Customs officer or while was vice president. If Atiku’s former boss and his former political party are what he has suddenly painted them to be, the question then arises, when did Mr. Atiku know these things? Why did he remain part of these “ultimate evils” on earth? Did Atiku make these sudden U-turns only after he realized the futility of his presidential ambition on the platform of the PDP? Why did he have to wait until he was suspended, expelled and dismissed? And now, we are supposed to accept and trust his volte face? Haba!
It would appear that Atiku has become a desperado! And in his state of desperation, he is a drowning man who is clinging to all straws in extreme futility. It is clear that he has so far failed in his attempt to shield himself from the massive corruption probe by the EFCC. We know and trust Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and his EFCC to always, always, get their man! The Case Against Atiku By EFCC Written by Nuhu Ribadu , Chairman EFCC.
The fear of arrest, prosecution and imprisonment upon any attempt to return to Nigeria, has informed former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s devil’s alternative, a petition seeking political asylum in the United States or France! according to usually well-informed sources.
I would have welcomed Atiku Abubakar to the Diaspora and encouraged him to join the distinguished membership of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) as I would of every Diaspora Nigerian, but, Atiku’s former boss provided the impetus for NIDO’s formation and operation. NIDO is therefore part of his former boss’s reform agenda which Atiku now trashes every minute!And besides, NIDO will not welcome a discredited Nigerian politician who is an epitome of corruption, as Atiku is. NIDO would not allow Atiku into its membership! Not with the former vice president’s soiled reputation as a pillager and plunderer of Nigeria’s public treasury. NIDO is certain to say, absolutely NOT to any application from Atiku and his ilk!
9 comments
Sadly this fellow called adujie cannot even differentiate between the political structure of Britain and that of Nigeria. No wonder he writes nonsense. Here is a basic lesson for Barrister Adujie free of charge. Class begins: In Britain the leader of the political party with the largest majority in parliament becomes the prime minister. That is why there can be a new prime minister without an election simply by having a leadership change. Please do not compare apple and oranges. Also Nigeria operates a bastardised(taiwanised) form of American system of government. And the key word is bastardised that is why you cannot compare Bush and Cheney with Obasanjo and Atiku. Bush cannot even dream of doing an inch of what Obasanjo has done with Nigeria and expect to remain in power. Obasanjo would have been long gone if you want to apply the American standard you so half heartedly desire to apply. Class dismissed
They said that certain things never change their colours and your article on Atiku Abubakar shows that you will never change. Over the years you had been the lone voice of unreasonableness. I am neither Atikus supporter or OBJ's but if you had to write, try not to write tripes, because not everyone is a moron.
You made several comparison between Dick Cheney and Atiku but you failed to asked yourself if Bush will wake up and sack Cheney, no matter what sort of disagreement they had outside the corridors of the constitution provisions?
You are busy mixing up constitutional issue with moral issue. I agreed that since Atiku now think that OBJ is a crook and PDP are band of thugs, he should on moral ground leave the VP position and distance himself from them. But that is a completely moral issue. You can accuse him of lack of moral for staying put but you can't say that he is doing anything unconstitutional for staying put either.
And you and I knew why Atiku don't want to leave. Because of the way those in power had abused their position and using government agencies to intimidate their opponents, what will they do to him if he is to lose his immunity? If they can ignore the law and use impeachment vragrantly or telling a part of an elected joint mandate that his position is vacant, what will they lose their sleep doing?
I can only admire Atiku's understanding of Nigerian political play game and his opponents don't seem to like that and want to stop him by all means no matter what it takes and it's becming very childish every single day. PDP told this man that they had suspended him and then the next minute they had sacked him all because they do not want him in an election that Nigerian masses are meant to determine. Unless they knew something we do not know about elections.
OBJ can sack his ministers because he appointed them but not your vice, whom you had an elected joint ticket and that mandate no longer belong to PDP but to Nigerians that elected them, no matter the political affiliation of the person with the mandate unless the law says a different thing. PDP were not asleep when ANPP governors declared for their party and still remain in office or do they select where the law of the land should be applied and where it shouldn't?
Just as OBJ was an eye witness of Chris Uba/Ngige confessing of rigging an election and kept quite instead of telling the police and on the other hand will probably sign a death warrant of convicted robber. They want Atiku to leave and at the same time beckoning Mrs Etiaba to leave APGA to join PDP.
When you sit down to write your tripe, just think and remember that people that will read these nonsense are not fools or politically biased and blind like yourself. I wonder what you will write if Atiku will go back to Nigeria tomorrow, when you are already calling him a former vice president.
If you want a prediction, I will predict that OBJ may end up being the one impeached before you know it and then guess who will be president. Afterrall this is Nigeria, the lawless and anything goes country.
I don't really know what's going on in Nigeria. However, I'm sure this Atiku guy is not one of those with the best interest of Nigeria at heart. That doesn't mean that if AC is "Active Crooks" PDP is not "Principal Derailers of the People's-mandate". I can foresee a massive rigging spree in the coming election, courtesy of the PDP. We must decide what we want; a free and fair election or a continuation of the status quo, by whatever means possible!
Any one who carefully reads some of Paul Adujies articles will come out with one conclusion. He lacks objectivity. His article is often a waste of time really. It appears that he is incapable of rational thought. He is no doubt an Obasanjo apologist so his rant against AC and Atiku is not suprising. For someone who claims to have a law degree his views on the law and the constitution is a shame. I probably have more law in my pinkie than he has in his head. He is a good poster boy for all that is wrong with educated Nigerians. Blind allegiance for the sake of obtaining favour from power. No wonder past military rulers see no value in education. The questions for Adujie are, what crime has Atiku committed that Obasanjo has not committed? How is PDP better than AC in calibre of membership? PDP has been characterised as a den of killers and thieves and they have indeed earned such characterisation. Adujie is a partisan hack. He expects Atiku to play according to the rule when Obasanjo is not doing the same. For sure Atiku would have been expected to resign honourably upon declaring for another party. But is there honour among thieves? He is simply playing the game he and his boss have played with Nigeria for the last 7 years. Look at it this way, the thief-in-chief will like to lock up the deputy thief-in-chief for daring to challenge his re-election in 2003. But the deputy thief-in-chief is smarter than him. He knows that as long as he remains the deputy thief-in-chief he cannot be prosecuted or arrested as the thief-in-chief would like to do. No matter how lawyer Adujie and his beer parlour court twist the constitution, the power does not belong to the president or his party to declare the seat of a vice president of the federal republic vacant. In fact the house should take a que from Obasanjo's misteps in this case and impeach him for trampling on the constitution he promised to uphold on assuming office. That is a clear breach of his oath of office. A responsible president would have refered the issue to the courts for clarification before making a pronouncement. He has set a bad precedence and desecrated the office of the president. One last advise. Adujie dear, I think the IT stuff is confusing the law in your head. Stick to one please
How can you sit down at your home in front of your PC and regurgitate fiction and call it reality. Do you have any proof to support all that you have said, including the VP seeking assylum in US. Your piece is totally illogical, fallacious and completely untenable. It shows a deep sense of shallow-mindedness on your part and lacks the objectivity it deserves. As a result of that, i insist you be barred from this forum as describing Atiku as a "former" VP of Nigeria.
Ugo Daniels
http://atiku2007.tk
Happy New Year. Mr. Paul. I had to read through this long article again before I could come to terms with the message you are trying to put forward. Like I have always repeat in some of my comments to articles related to the politic and social affairs of Nigeria, We most be objective about what we write, and most put the general interest of the Nation before any person, groups or party. It is understandable that the VP after been expelled from the PDP, look for alternative party to further his ambition to run for the office of the president. What is confusing, is why the VP, having opted for another party still want to retain the office, and its benefits. One would have expected him to resign honorable and to concentrate his energy and efforts to achieve his goals, and not waiting for his dismissal and subsequent humiliation. We have been following events related to his corruption charges, waiting to hear the out come of the allegation, and the viaduct of the couth, which has not produced any results so far; but the action of his party. he has not been legally condemned for the supposed crimes of mismanagement of fund under his jurisdiction and therefore presumed innocent until the couth rules. There is every indication that the president of Nigeria is working toward improving the economic and social situation of the country, and my personal opinion is that he is doing his best to comb the country of corruption. But what is surprising is, some sector of the elite population is not supportive of his policies, and has therefore aligned with the VPs camp. You sounded very much like a PDP member when you qualify the Action Congress AC. As Active Crooks, or Associated Crooks. The party I can understand is one of the most formidable, though like the PDP, and every other party in the country may have bad eggs among its members, this general qualification of all members as crooks, require an apology from you.
Is it true information, that the VP. Is seeking political asylum? Is NIDO only for Nigerian in the Americas? How can organizations in Europe subscribe for membership of NIDO, and what are the responsibilities and benefits of such organizations? Finally I want to congratulate you for your last article about the president, it was indeed Wellcome after reading articles of doom that is common in this page.
I post my comments with a heavy heart. I expected more from you.
First I want to state that I am not an Atiku apologist. I won't vote for Atiku in any election. Having said this, I want to comment on specific aspects of your article.
"Has Atiku not stolen enough public money?"—-nobody has shown us a concrete proof to this effect, not even the EFCC. I agree with your insinuation that Atiku may not be able to explain the source of his wealth. OBJ has similar questions to answer.
"Atiku should resign or be impeached, then he could use his illegally acquired wealth, his ABTI University in Yola, and his mansion in Maryland USA as pawns for money for his campaign with Action Congress…"—- Someday, the story of the private universities, farm equipment supplies to Ota, expensive houses of the first children, would be told.
"How does anyone explain how Atiku could be an apostle of his former boss and the PDP for seven and half years, but, he makes a hundred and eighty degree turn to inform us that his former boss and the PDP are all there is, as all the evils in the world?"—– To rephrase your question: why did it take OBJ seven years plus to realise that Atiku was a "thief"
"a petition seeking political asylum in the United States or France! according to usually well-informed sources."—— You probably proof-read and edited the petition in question. Please learn from the experiences of all the fallen, informed sources, aka low lives.
"NIDO would not allow Atiku into its membership! Not with the former vice president's soiled reputation as a pillager and plunderer of Nigeria's public treasury. NIDO is certain to say, absolutely NOT to any application from Atiku and his ilk!"—- I assume you're NIDO and NIDO is you. Please wait for the man to apply first.
The problem with our country is not Atiku but the constitution and processes of governance. OBJ had seven years plus to address these problems but he failed to.
PDP and OBJ celebrated the first cross-carpeting of members of other parties to PDP. It was good then, even to when Governor Turaki of Jigawa State left his ANPP for PDP. These people didn't lose their political positions. Atiku should not lose his, even though this would appear wrong morally. Let OBJ and PDP use the constitutionally stipulated means to remove him. If they can't, then they should learn to tolerate the him (Atiku).
This will serve as a good lesson to the next government….to act for the good of all at all times. I am sure the members of "Active Crooks" you referred to in your article have learnt this lesson.
My brother, to conclude, the situation of our presidency is embarrassing. However, what we need is not a quick fix, but a fundamental review of our constitution. This is a task the new government must emabark on immediately it is sworn in.
LOOTERS SHALL KNOW NO PEACE!
then ask your self this,can bush declear the office of the vp vecant