TheCable

Two days ago, I said to a few people that it is impracticable for Mr. Garba Shehu to say that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is corrupt and a security threat and we all laughed about it. A few minutes ago, Mr. Garba Shehu released a few lines to the public space, responding to what Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo said (while receiving Atiku and some Nigerian leaders in his Abeokuta home) about the man who puts food on his table.

Like I did wittily say two days ago that Mr. Garba is not capable of taking Alhaji Atiku to the cleaners, when I read through what he wrote, I nodded that I was right that he is politically-spineless. He only said the PDP is corrupt, not Atiku Abubakar! Mr. Garba can take chief Obasanjo to the cleaners, but he is not able to do so when it comes to the man—who opened the door for him to get to where he is today.

No matter how reckless and power-drunk folks become in the corridors of power, they dare not satirize and skit their godfathers. They can play to the gallery, taking a few people to the cleaners to score some cheap political points, but they don’t joke with those—who are able to uproot them from where they are planted. Politics is like a game, but most Nigerians are yet to understand. Politicians are hardly serious about national affairs. They are only interested in their belly and pocket.

Mr. Garba Shehu said and I quote verbatim—in his letter, responding to the drama that took place some hours ago on the inside of the house of His Excellency, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo: “We are busy on various national issues including the restructuring and the diversification of the economy, fighting corruption, terrorism and other threats to national security; increasing the availability of electric power, improving education, health, and providing long delayed infrastructure—roads, rail, airports and so forth.” Garba did say that they are busy restructuring Nigeria. While I do not want to say he lied, but it is clear as water that he was not saying the truth, because, how can an administration that does not believe in national-restructuring say it is busy restructuring Nigeria? Nigerians demand to know how the administration of President Buhari is handling the issue of restructuring, because anyone who puts the issue of national-restructuring on the back-burner will lose the coming presidential election!

Mr. Garba also said that they are busy improving the health-sector of our nation. If this is true, why is it that Mr. President does not treat himself medically at home? Why does he go abroad to be treated medically? Why is it that State Governors, Senators, Local government chairmen…travel out of Nigeria to treat even headache? Where were we when the PDP was in power and where are we now? Nigerians want to know. We are sick and tired political-lies!

Also, he said and I quote: “The President will not relent in the war against corruption, because the ordinary people are the ultimate victims if we surrender to corruption and let its perpetrators go unpunished.” One thing Garba Shehu needs to understand is that the soap of anti-corruption war is not going to sell in 2019. Nigerians bought into it in 2015, but now, we do know better. How many APC chieftains have been arrested, prosecuted and jailed since PMB got to power? The fastest way to become a political saint is to cross from the PDP to the APC.

In Garba’s letter, he kept using this disparaging word: “ordinary” for our people. Who exactly are the ordinary Nigerians that Shehu was talking about? I like to quickly correct him that there is no Nigerian who is ordinary. Every Nigerian is precious and priceless. There is no difference in value between the President of Nigeria and the common man. I guess this is one of the reasons why our people are being treated, not as human beings—because the ruling-class thinks they are ordinary. Nigerians demand an apology from Mr. Garba Shehu!

This is where I am coming: The more the supporters of President Buhari vilify Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the more they are de-marketing PMB! Some years back, it was the supporters of His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who made GMB to become popular. They tore Buhari to pieces on social media, television and radio, but the more they did all that, the more the electorates began to fall in love with him. And against all odds, he won the last presidential election!

Since Alhaji Abubakar emerged as Presidential candidate of the PDP, many Buharists have been dragging the man in the mud, saying that he is both corrupt and a security threat. The question is, if he is truly corrupt as Mr. President’s supporters are alluding; why is he walking freely? Does it mean that he is above the law or our law is only for the poor? Also, if Alhaji Atiku is truly a national security threat, why can’t the government of PMB take him in for questioning, prosecute and jail him? Lastly, instead of vainly vilifying the man, I advice that you start selling your candidate to the angry people of Nigerians and maybe they’d buy into him before February, 2019.