Either End: Obasanjo’s Endorsement of Atiku- Another Political hypocrisy?  

YUSUFF, UTHMAN ADEKOLA

Not at all!

Before I delve wholly into the week’s argument, may I briefly tell a story? Ladies and gentlemen, the story is all about a man and a woman. The two of them were once in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and had hoped that, someday, they were going to up their love game to the level of matrimony. Simply, they had thought they were going to get married. However, at a point in time, the man began to be suspicious of his fiancée’s movements and thus lost faith in her.  In short, they stopped their love affair and the man vowed he would never think of her again in his life, let alone wish they could be together.

Dear readers, after a line of years, however, the man and the woman were eventually seen together again. In fact, not only were they together, but also with a child of theirs. Now, would it be right to call the man a hypocrite merely because he reneged on his initial vow that he would never have an affair with his ex-fiancée anymore? Definitely not! Humans are prone to changing their minds, often based on experiences. This, as everyone knows, is a natural human phenomenon.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, may I simply plunge into my argument proper in this tug of words?  Indeed, the anecdote given above already clears the air concerning the bone of contention in this discourse. Even, if the air had been initially colonised by a putrid wave of foul atmosphere, the anecdote suffices efficiently as an air freshener (just by the way, anyway). Straight to the point: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent endorsement/support of Atiku Abubakar as a contender in the forthcoming presidential election is not a matter of hypocrisy.

Yes, truly, Obasanjo and Atiku had been at loggerheads, politically, for quite a number of years now. Their long-time disagreement, even enmity, had been on, right since their two-term co-administration as the president and the vice-president respectively (1999-2007). It is also true that, in 2015, he supported President Buhari when the old man was still a mere aspirant of the presidential seat. It is as well true that he (Obasanjo) did make a vow, in August or thereabouts, that he would never support Atiku and that if he ever did so, God might not forgive him. Nonetheless, what is not true and cannot be so, is to hastily conclude that his eventual endorsement of Atiku reeks of another political hypocrisy.

Simply, what has happened is just perhaps a sudden clarity of sight after a prior giddiness of consciousness. Based on the socio-economic/socio-political bites presently hitting the country, the former president, Obasanjo, has perhaps only weighed the two sides and realised which should be the best for the country. This is even actually in line with the recent waves of opinions and debates making the rounds about who between Buhari and Atiku is the most fit for the nation’s presidency. As a matter of fact, we can sufficiently say that, since OBJ has been a president at a point in time, he can know, by virtue of his experience, the most promising of the two major contenders.

By that token, it can be concluded that OBJ has only chosen the one he personally thinks is better. Indeed, there is no hypocrisy here. The same OBJ who supported Buhari and vilified Atiku has merely had what can be called a dawn of realisation. He, as a person, now realises that his once sworn enemy has turned a new leaf and is quite positively prospective, while the erstwhile friend and incumbent president seems not the best. This is simply a matter of change of mind, which is naturally prone to happen to anyone. Normally, someone’s determinations can at times become altered. And that does not amount to hypocrisy. Hence, to quickly conclude that OBJ’s endorsement of Atiku is sheer hypocrisy is to subscribe to a hasty yet faulty conclusion.

In general, it remains a sacrosanct fact that democracy is a political system that upholds the freedom of choice amongst many other freedoms and rights. It is on this basis, coupled with all that have been aforementioned, that I further say that Obasanjo’s endorsement of Atiku is simply an expression of choice. The precedents do not really matter as much as is the case with the expression of his fundamental democratic freedom. In addition, picking choices is not in any way tantamount to hypocrisy. In the same vein, that one decides to change one’s mind about someone or something does and should not define one as being hypocritical. On a closing note, I REST MY PEN!
MOJOYINOLA ABD’AFEEZ

Chameleon has many clothes. Esu (like in the case of the Biblical devil) is the mother of confusion and deception: it appears differently to everyone every time. Green snakes find solace under the green grass; thus, no one can predict when and how they will attack anyone that step on them. This is the story:

 Amidst the animals, there came a time when they wanted to install a king. Lion and Tiger rose to be the king. Of course, only one animal would be the leader, for two kings can not stay in one palace. But as the deliberation on whom to be appointed went on, Tortoise stood and spoke:

 “in the history of our community, we read about the plague that the animals from the other village stroke on us: when we were hungry and battling with famine,  it was said that the father of the great Elephant saved the community by sacrificing his mother for all of our fore fathers to eat. Imagine who will be holding this meeting, if all of our fathers and mothers had died. Imagine if this community would still wear its name when the inhabitants have died. Imagine, imagine and just be imagining. So, isn’t it good not to strike the eyes of our helpers with a thorny tree? Isn’t it good not to be an ingrate? Isn’t it honorable to appoint Elephant as the king?

They all agreed to choose Elephant as their leader. But on the day of installation, the king’s chair was placed on a hole covered with a mattress. Tortoise called Elephant from afar to come and sit and be the king. It answered but earth covered its body in forever silence: it died. 

Dear reader, it all started in 2006, a year before the end of Baba Iyabo’s (Obasanjo’s) tenure when Atiku his former Vice President and he (Obasanjo) had a fierce battle of words. Obasanjo  accused Atiku of wanting to depose him off government. In his most controversial book, My Watch, he said “From the day I nominated Atiku to be my vice, he set his mind not for any good, benefit or service of the country, but on furiously planning to upstage, supplant or remove me at all cost and to take my place.” 

Besides, Obasanjo moved further to show his resentment of Atiku in an interview with some journalists, where he was asked if he would support Atiku in his presidential bid, he said “How can I be on the same side with Atiku? To do what?… If I support Atiku for anything, God will not forgive me. If I do not know, yes. But once I know, Atiku can never enjoy my support,” . 

But surprisingly, after Atiku has been announced as the PDP candidate for 2019 election, Obasanjo came out in support of him, his most vicious enemy. He said that he (Atiku) has rediscovered himself thus he supports him to be the president. But can we say Obasanjo’s endorsement of Atiku is another political hypocrisy?

Yes. And these are why. Politics in Nigeria is defined based on ” no permanent enemy and friend”: An enemy of today can turn to  a friend of tomorrow. That is the politics of Nigeria. It is a business platform where everyone crave for profit. Like in drama where one just imitates events or characters, politicians imitate friendship here. Dear reader, Obasanjo has said it very clearly that he will dwell in hell if he supports Atiku (God will not forgive me–Obasanjo).  Thus, why would we allow his endorsement of Atiku to sway us off from thinking that he is not an hypocrite? That his endorsement is not another political hypocrisy? 

Of course, Obasanjo has benefited from retracting his words severally. He has said he has decamped from PDP and thus would never go back there, “In the part of the country where I come from, there is a saying that you cannot say ‘good night’ and come back to say ‘good evening’ in the same place. “So for me, it is good night for the Peoples Democratic Party and that’s all,”  But this same Obasanjo has come to his former hut (PDP) to say, good evening. So, if Obasanjo has been known for this hypocritical statement, then would one wrong to conclude that his endorsement of Atiku is another political hypocrisy? 

To nail it to the end, Tortoise deception to bring the Elephant to destruction is a case of what may happen to Atiku, come 2019. It is obvious Obasanjo is after profit not his statement. He is not a man of his word: he has two mouths– first, to say and second, to unsay. Hence, Atiku should beware of his looming destruction for his endorsement by Baba Iyabo is just another political hypocrisy.

Don’t say I didn’t say.