•How
He Made IYORCHIA AYU Northern Consensus Candidate
•What
No One Will Tell You
The battle for the chairmanship for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP at the national level ended on Thursday, October 14, 2021, after ex-Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu, emerged as the Northern consensus candidate. The chairmanship slot had been zoned to the North and a consensus candidate emerged after a few contestants withdrew. A former Governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, and former Senator from Bauchi State, Abdul Ningi, reportedly withdrew from the race.
The
new Chairman, which has been produced from the North has stirred up questions
from political spectators who want to know the place of Atiku Abubakar, a former
Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has also contested for
presidency on many fronts and times in the past 30 years.
What
many don’t know is that the choice of Ayu had the blessing of Atiku. Both have
come a long way, since the days when Atiku was Vice President to Obasanjo and
Ayu was Senate President. Don’t forget that he was the former DG of the Atiku
Campaign.
With
Ayu now as PDP National Chairman, how will Atiku realise his dream of getting a PDP presidential ticket? If one considers the political template of any party
in Nigeria, as of now, it is obvious that the politics of regional balancing
holds sway, when parties begin to allot posts and offices to members, in order
for some part of its body not to feel marginalized. It would have been simple
mathematics that once the chairmanship comes from the North, the next
politically safe move is to zone the Presidency to the South. But this might
not be the case, this time around, like the PDP, according to sources is most
likely to come up with a Northerner as Chairman, a Northerner as Presidential
candidate and a South-South candidate as running mate, which is most likely to
be Wike.
City
People can authoritatively reveal that Atiku has perfected his strategy for
2023. All things being equal, he is most likely to get the PDP presidential
ticket. He has also tidied up a deal with other key players like Rivers
Governor, Wike who has reached a Gentleman's Agreement with him.
Atiku
Abubakar has fought and lost many more battles than he has won. Historically,
it can be argued that Atiku is the most betrayed politician in the history of
Nigeria’s politicking; mirroring from his experience in 1992, when his fate was
merely decided in a flight between Abuja and Lagos, as the Social Democratic Party
stalwarts dropped him for Babagana Kingibe, as a running mate to late Chief MKO
Abiola.
In
2007, he also had a sour slice of betrayal after former President Olusegun
Obasanjo preferred Katsina state governor as of that time, Umar Musa Yar’Adua
to succeed him above his vice, Atiku Abubakar.
There
were also indications that he left the party to join forces with Lagos frontman
back in 2007, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fight the ruling PDP under Action
Congress, but lost to Yar’Adua. The something would repeat itself in 2011,
2015, and 2019.
The
challenge as far as pundits can see is the fact that the zoning of party
chairman to the north-central will be a challenge for Atiku’s presidential
ambition.
Let's
tell you about Mr. Ayu, a former Sociology lecturer, who will be 69 in
November, hails from Benue State. He is of the Tiv ethnic nationality.
He
was Senate President during the botched Third Republic (1992-1993). And just in
case we have forgotten, he was a former Director-General of Atiku’s campaign.
He
later served as Minister of Education in the administration of late Sani Abacha
and as a minister in three ministries – industry, internal affairs, and the
environment – in the civilian administration of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
Mr
Ayu will be the 3rd person from Benue to hold the position. Barnabas Gemade, a
former Minister and Senator and Audu Ogbeh, a former Minister, at different
times, held that position but were removed in controversial circumstances.
Unknown
to many people, Iyorcha Ayu shares a formidable bond with Atiku Abubakar and no
one comes in between them. Sources from the PDP told City People that Atiku was
part of the machinery that saw to the negotiation and permutation which lead to
his emergence. Atiku was at former senate president, David Mark’s home a day
before the announcement of Ayu. At every historical junction, Atiku has a
record of shocking spectators with his political decisions. He is known for
keeping his jokers beneath his sleeves and holding up till all the chips are down.
While
the Southerners may be having parties to celebrate this “victory”, with the
zoning narrative, it will be shocking to discover that Atiku will not back
down.
In
the spirit of fairness, let’s look through his political trajectory. He came
into the political frame after emerging as top 3 out of a large number of
Presidential aspirants in the SDP Presidential primaries with my legend M.K.O.
Abiola – M.K.O. being first, Baba Gana Kingibe emerging second, and Atiku
Abubakar as third. Since margins were close, they ran for the 2nd voting option
to decide the ‘clear’ winner. Atiku decided to team up with M.K.O Abiola. After
M.K.O emerged, he chose Kingibe as his running mate. The permutation was that
Atiku’s time would come, after M.K.O’s Presidency.
As
Vice President, he led the Economic team under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Not
many people are aware that it was Atiku that recommended a lot of technocrats
to Obasanjo’s Government. PDP has consistently appointed technocrats in
Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (square pegs in a square hole) in
government across the geopolitical frame of Nigeria. Some of the leading
Presidential candidates such as ‘very competent’ Professor Kingsley Moghalu,
Dr. Oby Ezekwesili were appointees of the PDP government. Even Governor Nasir
Elrufai served in PDP for 14 years out of the 16 years of PDP’s reigns. Atiku
recommended and facilitated these people’s appointments.
Let’s
not also forget that Atiku remained the only democratic Vice President who
fought his boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, against the 3rd term agenda. It was
also reported that he sponsored parts of the move financially for his personal
interest in becoming President.
How then can Atiku beat the odds against him
to clinch the ticket for 2023?
The
good news for Atiku Abubakar is the fact that he cannot be termed as a defector
by 2022. He has decamped from the APC and has remained with the party beyond
all types of political intimidation and character assassination. Amidst all the
political war waged against him, he has not lost any of his loyal warriors. In
the last PDP primaries conducted in Port Harcourt in 2018, Abubakar won the
election with 1,532 votes with the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal,
coming a distant second with 693 votes.
As
it stands today, the only financially strong candidate that can battle
shoulder-to-shoulder with Atiku from the south remains Governor Nyesom Wike of
Rivers State, whose interest has not been made public, as he is making plans to
pick a successor when he leaves the office after his second term as governor.
Senate
President Bukola Saraki came third with 317 votes followed by the former
governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso who polled 158 votes. Atiku had decamped
from the APC barely a year before.
Former
Senate President, Saraki has also revalidated his membership of the PDP at his
home state, and the pressure of having a candidate from the central despite
clinching the chairmanship slot is equally tense.
With
Atiku raising his head up amidst all the complexity that characterizes the
party at the moment, one can say he is not only a Nigerian operator who knows
how to make money but also a politician who thrives in controversy.
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