2019: Agbakoba speaks on Atiku’s ambition, Obasanjo
SAN, who now leads the National Intervention Movement, NIM, has
observed that the political battle former vice president, Atiku
Abubakar fought with his former principal, Olusegun Obasanjo, has put
the former in a position where some Nigerians do not think he can win
the 2019 elections.
The senior advocate, who made this assertion in an interview with
DAILY POST, was, however quick to point out that Obasanjo is not the
Nigerian electorate, and that Atiku would be a good candidate if the
voting public supports the former vice president's ambition.
DAILY POST recalls that former president, Goodluck Jonathan had
advised Atiku to seek reconciliation with Obasanjo if his dream of
becoming President must be realized, asserting that any "politician
who ignores Obasanjo does so at its own peril".
But Agbakoba insisted in a chat with our correspondent that Obasanjo
has only one vote, adding that the former vice president is
detribalized with enough energy to lead Nigeria. But when asked if
Atiku has reached out to the NIM, he answer was a 'no'.
He said, "Somebody like Atiku Abubakar may or may not be a partner we
can work with because it is about national perception. If the
perception is that working with him will not assist us then we would
not, but if the perception is that working with him is something that
the Nigerian voters accept then we will.
"My perception is that his political battle with Obasanjo has tended
to put him in a light that Nigerians may not see him as a person that
can rule Nigeria in 2019. There is a perception on that and the other
is that Atiku is aged but young with enough energy and detribalized to
bring about the Nigerian dream. So it's about perception.
"For instance, when we go into town hall meetings, supposed that we
invited him to come and talk to us and we discovered that from the
responses and national random opinion, the public identified him as
one of the potentially good leaders Nigeria has and if he is
identified as someone we can work with, then we can work with him
regardless of Obasanjo's opinion of Atiku. Obasanjo is not the
Nigerian voting public. He's only got one vote.
"If the Nigerian voting public supports Atiku, that makes him a good
candidate. In politics, you must amplify the voice of the voter, not
your own voice. I might not like Atiku as a person but if the voting
public wants him to be given a chance, then it is something we can
look at, but we have not reached that stage."
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