QUESTION! Did Atiku Stop Criticizing Buhari After Securing Backing For 2023 Presidency?

Is there a pact between Atiku Abubakar and the northern political establishment ahead of the 2023 presidential race? Has the former vice president received assurance of support for him to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023?

That appears to be the situation in view of the Turaki Adamawa’s sudden sheathing of sword against the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Since 2016, and especially after he lost the presidential election in 2019, Abubakar has been one of the ardent critics of Buhari and had always called out the administration on important issues affecting the country.

 His media aides readily issued statements on his behalf on almost every government policy or programme where the president or his administration could be faulted.

But that seemed to have changed.

The last time the ex-VP openly criticized Buhari was on October 30 last year at the Peoples Democratic Party National Convention where he scored the All Progressives Congress government low on virtually all development indices.

“Today, our country is going through the most trying and difficult period of its existence. I can tell you that I am 70 years plus but I have never seen this country in such a very bad shape, so disunited, so much unemployment, so much insecurity in its history,” he said.

But even at the convention, he acted as a benevolent critic by trying to exonerate the Buhari government from all the blame for the country’s situation.

He said, “The social and security challenges in all corners along with the lingering tension surrounding the very nature of our corporate existence as a nation, Nigeria is at the edge of because of the lackluster performance and complacency of successive administrations, culminating in the gross failure of this APC-led government.”

On February 24 when he issued a statement on the Russia/Ukraine conflict, Abubakar had only words of encouragement for the Buhari administration.

He said: “The conflict between Russia and Ukraine demands that all nations of goodwill must rise to ensure that diplomacy is deployed to de-escalate the situation.

“I will also request that the Nigerian government does its best to evacuate Nigerians in Ukraine, majority of which are students.”

On Tuesday when he addressed members of the PDP Board of Trustees on his plan to be president, Abubakar uncharacteristically spared the Buhari administration and only urged members to unite so the party could regain power.

He did not hint at the slightest opposition to the APC government.

Some political analysts have told THE WHISTLER that the northern political establishment is unwilling to relinquish power at this time in the nation’s history and is scheming to retain the presidency in 2023.

While the APC will find it difficult to zone the presidency to the north in 2023, the PDP has no such constraint and had already thrown the ticket open.

The northern political elites believe the former VP could easily get the presidential ticket of the PDP, and could then become the adopted candidate of the north.

The scenario is envisaged as similar to what happened in 2015 when the north adopted Buhari and supporters of the PDP all largely voted for APC.

While it is uncertain whether Buhari or the alleged cabal is part of the plot, the analysts insist the president could easily be persuaded to accept it since it would retain power in the north.

“In any case, the APC has zoned the presidential ticket to the South, a development that is not popular in the north, even among northern politicians in the party,” said an analyst who preferred anonymity.

He argued that instead of losing power to the South in 2023, northern leaders in the APC would rather support a northern candidate running on another party as witnessed in 2015 when the north voted en mass for Buhari.

The former VP had visited Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, in Minna on February 1. The two had a closed-door meeting that lasted about an hour.

After the meeting, Abubakar also visited Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger state—an APC governor.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, he said he visited Niger to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent attacks by bandits.

When asked about his presidential aspiration, Abubakar said: “I have only come on a visit, I will let you know about my presidential ambition at the appropriate time.”

Abubakar also visited former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta on February 26.  The two also had a closed-door meeting for about an hour. He later told journalists :

“I came to meet my boss. We will let you know when I declare, we will give a formal announcement.”

When asked if he would get the presidential ticket of the PDP, he asked back: “Have I ever failed to get the ticket?”

When THE WHISTLER called Paul Ibe, Abubakar’s media aide, to react, he said he would call the reporter to discuss “in details all the issues.”