By Ola Kay
A pro-democracy rights group, The Democratic Front, TDF, has pointed Nigerians to the recent visit by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Kastina State, describing it as a mere attention seeking adventure and a desire to be noticed, regardless of the politician’s original intentions.
The group, observed that, Atiku, “in his usual stimulus to action that will generate controversy since his ignominious lost of the last Presidential elections,.. had suddenly visited the former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, even when he never had any good thing to say about him before.”
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and the Secretary of TDF, Mallam Danjuma Muhammed and Chief Wale Adedayo, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take his gaze away from unnecessary distractions, adding that the former VP was merely fishing for compliments to keep himself in the public eye.
The TDF leaders said Atiku’s visit was only intended to among others, “create an incitement, some unusually unpremeditated actions, and disruptive political controversy to heat up the stable polity.”
The statement emphasized, “We can recall how after his 2019 defeat in the hand of the former President, Atiku had held the former president with disdain, never saying any good thing about the Buhari administration.
“We also know that there is no record of him paying Sallah homage to the former President in or out of office so Nigerians are right to suggest that the former VP was either being controversial to provoke attention or was pursuing an ulterior political agenda, which for now is known to only himself.
“And let us not forget how Atiku, through his media handlers, recently described Buhari’s handling of the economy in derogatory terms and accused President Bola Tinubu of toeing a similar path.”
the group challenged President Tinubu and his political appointees to ignore and dismiss the mischievous intent that the visit by the former Vice President to Daura may generate, describing it further as “… at best, a flutter of an attention seeking political opportunist.”
“While recognizing that it is within the constitutional right of the former VP to move freely and visit anybody of his choice, TDF noted that the controversy he sought to stir by his recent visit was an indication of giving whatever it takes “… in pursuit of selfish political aggrandizement.”
TDF statement also carpeted Atiku’s visit to the former President with its attendant implications by saying that, “We consider it a sad commentary and a degeneration in the essential qualities of statesmanship for a former Vice President to now recline into the use of regional and ethnic sentiments in a desperate bid to govern at all costs.
“This is perfidious against the Nigerian State and proof that Abubakar is not worthy of any high office in Nigeria again.”
The group noted that with one year in office of an elected democratic administration led by President Bola Tinubu, instead of being led into controversy (about which part of the country should produce the president in 2027), the government and people of Nigeria should be allowed to remain preoccupied with the onerous task of building a strong nation where equality and economic prosperity will be guaranteed for the citizenry.
The group expressed the view that, “It is therefore unpatriotic and reprehensible for the former Vice President and his co-travellers to attempt to convert the optics of a private visit into a mischievous ploy for diverting the nation’s attention from important national issues to pedestrian frivolities.
“We, however, urge President Tinubu to remain focused on the implementation of his reform policies. His spirited efforts and determination to reduce the country’s infrastructural deficit by approving capital projects in different parts of the country, and opening up the economic space for multi dimensional prospects and opportunities, are being appreciated by many well meaning citizens of Nigeria.
“And these achievements shall be counted among the legacies of his presidency whenever posterity beckons.
The rights group advised Nigerian politic to shun utterances and actions capable of plunging the nation into chaos, stressing that, “permutations over the 2027 Presidential election, is unnecessary, premature, distractive and deceitful.”
“According to the TDF, the 2023 elections had since come to an ended, and President Tinubu now engages himself “in the fundamental restructuring and reengineering of the economy to the benefit of all Nigerians,” urging Nigerians of different ethnic and political persuasions to support the Tinubu-led administration “as it continues on the path of economic reforms.”
“
“
“
“
“
“
About The Author
