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Atiku’s US gambit: Surprise move alter 2019 calculations
President Buhari and former Vice President Atiku
By OBINNA EZUGWU
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s visit to the United States last week may swing the outcome of 2019 election, and is surely a good omen for the opposition party.
Apart from serving as a huge morale booster for him and the PDP as they plot to unseat the incumbent government of President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), it is more importantly, a subtle indication of US endorsement of the Atiku candidacy, one that may effectively alter calculations ahead of the polls.
Atiku’s US trip is a huge blow to the Buhari campaign. Festus Keyamo, spokesperson for the Buhari campaign and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Information and Culture Minister, had made an issue out of Atiku’s inability to visit the North American country over alleged corruption case, emphasising same as an evidence of his corrupt persona. His eventual visit has apparently caught them napping. Attempts to change the narrative have largely fallen flat. And has on the contrary, helped to win Atiku even greater support.
“The momentum is with Atiku now,” said Abuja based analyst, Bar Anthony Chidiebere. “The government is putting every foot wrong in their attempt to stop him.
“Again, Buhari’s continued flops, such as his poor showing in the NTA interview, the slip in Kogi, Kaduna, as well as his gaffe in Delta, have exposed him.”
Following the news of Atiku’s trip, Lai Mohammed, alleged the former Vice President of playing a role in the collapse of Bank PHB.
“I have come to make few remarks about the recent visit of the presidential candidate of the PDP to the US. You can recall that a few weeks ago, I did issue a statement advising the US Government not to issue a visa to Atiku,” Mohammed told state house correspondents last week.
“Remember also that in that same press conference, I also stated that it remained the prerogative of the US government to issue visa to anyone it deemed fit.
“Let me say right away that we are not perturbed one bit that Alhaji Atiku Abukakar was able to secure a visa to the US. As a matter of fact, he can go ahead and get the US Green Card; that will not save him from imminent defeat in the forthcoming election.
“I want to remind Abubakar that the elections will be right here in Nigeria and not in the US. In any event, any time Abubakar returns home, he has questions to answer following the fresh evidence that we have that he benefited from slush funds that led to the collapse of former Bank PHB.
“The document we have shows he benefited to the tune of N156m from that slush fund. The paper which we have here started from an internal memo on January 13, 2009, which reads, ‘Please refer for discussion, your requested overdraft in favour of Atiku Abubakar for N156m and deliver same to me. Please note that it must be delivered today (January 13) on the same date.’’’
The minister stated that there was a second memo, which confirmed the receipt of the money requested. He quoted from the second memo, which reads, “Please confirm that the amount stated below be issued from Claremont Management Services account.”
He alleged further that, “We have evidence here of the account mandate, the name of Atiku Abubakar; we also have a copy of the cheque in which the sum of N156m was issued to Atiku Abubakar, dated January 13, 2009.
“And of course, we also have a statement of account within that period that confirms that this sum was actually paid into his account.
“These are fresh evidence as to his involvement in the collapse of Bank PHB. So, we want him to stay as long as he wants in the US, but as soon as he comes back, he has to explain to the electorate and to Nigerians what his role was in the collapse of the former Bank PHB.”
But his allegation did not impress many Nigerians who took him on on social media. He was berated by many who wondered why the government is just making such discovery at this time.
In his reaction, through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, however, Atiku mocked the Buhari government for failing to stop the US government from granting him visa, assuring that “with or without a trip to the US,” the PDP would defeat Buhari in the February 16 presidential polls.
He dismissed as “cock and bull story,” the allegation by the Minister that he had a case to answer over the collapse of Bank PHB.
“It is disgusting to continue to spin allegations of corruption against me by people who have failed to come forward with a single shred of evidence of my misconduct while in office,” Atiku said.
“Isn’t it a shame that the ruling party, which National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, only on Thursday gave official confirmation to the general belief that even if Lawrence Anini becomes an APC member today, Buhari will forgive and consecrate him, can turn around to accuse me of corruption today?
“I challenge the Federal Government to come up with evidence that I benefitted from N156m slush funds through Claremont Management Services Account on 13th January, 2009 as well as the collapse of Bank PHB as they have alleged.
“It is instructive to note that the same Bank PHB is now Keystone Bank, which was said to have been acquired by Buhari’s cronies through AMCON last year.”
Apart from the US trip helping to boost the former Vice President’s image among Nigerians, it has importantly, sent a signal of US support to the PDP candidate, one that the ruling party would be most uncomfortable with, having benefitted from similar support as opposition in 2015.
Alhaji Mohammed noted same during his address last week, pointing out that the decision of the US government to grant Atiku visa was an indication of their support for the opposition candidate.
Many Nigerians may not have been aware of the heavy involvement of the US in the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan by Buhari in the 2015, and indeed, in the subsequent concession of defeat by the former president. But it was substantial, if not critical.
Apart from its open endorsement of Buhari, the Barack Obama administration, through the then Secretary of State, John Kerry, secretly warned Jonathan severally that the American drones had the capacity to locate him anywhere, should he try to subvert the will of the people in the election and cause crisis in doing so. While the warnings may not have been the reason Jonathan conceded defeat, it helped, perhaps, to weaken any thought of mischief and the Buhari camp were very much aware of this.
But the table has turned. What Jonathan faced in 2015, Buhari is apparently facing in 2019. The US, it appears, is unimpressed with Buhari’s performance in office, especially as it concerns security and alleged rights abuses.
A major crisis in Nigeria has the potential to destabilize the entire West Africa, cause stress in Europe and America, in addition to inevitable humanitarian crisis. It is a scenario the West, and particularly the US has been making sure to avoid. And with Buhari not doing, it would seem, impressively on security, Atiku appears to be the person who they hope will do better. His visit to the country where he meet with congressmen and a number of organisations, despite allegedly having a case to answer, is an indication of this.
It is also instructive that the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Affairs Sub-committee on Africa, Christopher Smith only recently, issued a statement asking President Donald Trump to sanction any Nigerian official who disrupt the 2019 electoral process, while blaming Buhari for failing to tackle growing security threats in the country, and particularly hitting the president for failing to do anything about Fulani herdsmen.
“I am very concerned by the current trajectory in Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy and economy, and President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent crackdown on non-violent protests and harassment of opposition leaders, such as freezing the assets of opposition vice presidential candidate Peter Obi and the raiding of the home of two sons of opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar,” the statement said.
“I call upon the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that elections will be free and fair, and for the Commission to remain impartial.
“I further call upon President Buhari to use his authority to end the violence perpetrated by Fulani extremists, particularly in the Middle Belt region, and question why he has failed to do so.
“I also urge the Trump Administration to monitor the evolving situation closely, and not to hesitate to use its sanctioning authority to hold accountable any officials who subvert the electoral process or foment violence against citizens.”
The statement is all too indicative of loss of US faith in Buhari. And while many have continued to accuse the president of wanting to rig the election due to his inability to sign the 2018 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, hounding of opposition figures, among others, a strong involvement by the US may serve as a deterrent.
“Of course, if the US comes out openly to challenge Buhari and to warn him against tampering with the election, it would serve the country better,” Chidiebere said.
“Certainly, it will help to remind the government that the world is watching and that, to an extent, will discourage them from rigging.”