Tinubu, Atiku And Obi: Identity As Weapon Of War, Tunde Abatan
There is no smoke without fire.
Fire must be ignited before smoke comes out.
In politics in Nigeria as in many other countries, contest for office is bitter and keen.
Bitter, because rivalry beclouds friendship and, in many cases, old folks forget about friendship when the contest for power comes in between them.
For those who are matured and not too desperate, political differences are separated from friendship and kept off.
Enough room is giving for reconciliation after contest for power and superiority are over.
However, as events of the last few weeks and months have shown in Nigeria, some power brokers and seekers have practically gone over the roof either to bring down their fellow contestants or to subject them to public ridicule. This is done in most cases when such opponents, hitherto friends, could not be defeated in political and electoral contest.
As I remarked last week, though both President Bola’ Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are political friends and occasional soul mates over the past three decades, things have turn to the worst in the past few months before and after the 2023 Presidential elections which Tinubu won against all odds.
The cord of their political relationship has been badly damaged because the contest for this year’s presidential election which saw the two friends belong to opposing parties have to all intent and purpose broken the known barrier of politics.
Although, nothing is permanent in politics but interest, but when such interests bother on life and image, such friendship is threatened.
Since the ascension to office of Bola’ Ahmed Tinubu after a contest which saw him defeat Atiku Abubakar, a former ally and vice president, it has been a real war of sorts with no barrier or limitations. It is being fought with all arsenal at the disposal of the combatants and their supporters.
Atiku, in his bid to unseat Tinubu, has shown level of bitterness not yet known in Nigeria’s politics.
So is Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Partial who though came third in the elections, is claiming to have won and has so challenged it in court.
Obis supporters are much more aggrieved especially from the standpoint of ethnic interests his contest represents among his supporters who have used social media to fabricate and distort.
They-Atiku and Obi, have both severally and individually called out Tinubu, their opponent’s integrity, and questioned his identity and credibility.
The battle has been taken out of Nigeria by Atiku’s for diverse reasons. There are no pretensions that this is done ostensibly to affect Tinubu’s position and image in public one way or the other locally and internationally.
Indeed, the level of name calling and acrimony has never been this bad since Nigeria’s political history even during the First republic days when deep seated ethnic passion is invoked.
For the contest between Atiku and Tinubu on one hand and Tinubu and Obi on the other, it evokes a fight to finish battle between both parties.
Indeed, with the crisis of Identity hang on Tinubu like the Sword of Damocles, the battle has assumed a life of its own difficult to quench even after the Supreme court final verdict.
What is more, the issue is now being thrown before the nations Supreme court.
The issue of Identity has been relegated to the background such that the core issue of conduct of election, which is the main issue with regard to Nigeria’s presidency appears to have taken second place.
Now, the Supreme court may either have to accede to Chief Justice Ariwoola’s counsel that Nigeria’s law and electoral Act has to determine this year’s presidential election case and not public emotions and or opinion which Identity issue has thrown up.
While the public enjoys the open public ridicule and darts thrown at each other by the combatants and their aides cum supporters, the Supreme court may have been irked that issue of the day which centres on who wins the election has been jettisoned for character and identity crisis which itself precedes election and should indeed should have been a pre- election matter.
If Atiku’s efforts with numerous press conferences and America trips to Chicago State Universities is exasperating, Obis call- out of Tinubu to disclose his real identity is an indication that both candidates are more or less concerned about whether they win election but that they were defeated by a candidate whose Identity to them remain questionable.
But as things stands now, the Yoruba saying that…
“The child that is looking for his mother’s debtor will one day meet his mother’s creditor”, has come to play.
While Tinubu got the CSU to clarify and clear his studentship and academic performance -a few corroborated by some of his mates, BBC fresh investigation, this has sort of defeated Atiku’s claim.
But the Adamawa politician keen on ‘claiming his mandate still beliefs, Tinubu stoke a woman’s name or probably certificate to gain admission to CSU.
As for Obi, the in- fighting within his party, now factionalised, has also exposed an alleged different identity for his University of Nigeria, Nsukka studentship and enrolment for the National Youth Service Corp.
The alleged discrepancies even if eventually sorted out in Obis favour, posed a similar credibility challenge to Obi battling to reclaim a supposed ‘stolen mandate’ from his third position.
With Obi who rebuffed Atiku’s earlier please to join him in exposing Tinubu’s identity, now in the fray, shows both candidates are now fighting same battle from different platforms.
A battle that might not have been necessary if they had remained in same political boat on which they contested in 2019 for the election. The result of the election might have been different and need for Identity might not have arisen.
Again, as Yoruba adage, any young man who doesn’t want to know his mother’s boyfriend before getting married, should not touch politics has come to play.
While the furore and battle in both camps has revealed in a way, the identity battles leaders face at one point or the other while growing up, it has shown that Afterall, the beautiful ones are not yet born in our politics.
Sadiq is a name yours truly know since ages, as a corporate name for one of Atiku’s oil concerns. Sadiq petroleum.
Sadiq Petroleum, Ut was that the business vehicle used by Atiku’s through his business cronies to buy defunct African Petroleum, shares during the privatisation process between 1999-2001 tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
However, bad debt allegedly swept under the carpet or rather hidden by those who sold AP, made Sadiq to divest.
Femi Otedola’s Forte Oil took it over in 2002 after it’s the company repackaged it for sale.
Could it be that Sadiq, the name Atiku used to sit for and write West African School Certificate Examination, WASC, later became purely a pseudo name used by Atiku’s for his surrogate companies.?
Is this the reason for dropping the name before joining the Customs where his career blossom and change his fortune.
On this, Atiku too has many explanations to make Moreso when Sadiq is not retained as his name but supplemented with Atiku. Why the name changes if not for altruistic reasons?
While Tinubu has several darts thrown at him and with institutions associated with him coming out to defend his true identity, could Atiku’s business associates with whom he used several under cover names or fronts to do business come out to defend and reaffirm that their business partner indeed has several identities rolled into one.?
With Obis LP struggling to keep some of the seats the now factitious party won in the National Assembly and also struggling to unite a party divided by Supreme court judgement on leadership still regain his image buoyed by his presidential bid?
Although, prominent legal minds like Olisa Agbakoba have decried the noise and furore being made of the Identity issue when matter is before the Supreme court, it is doubtful if the combatants will let go.
That Tinubu’s lawyer has also joined the fray by writing the Supreme court about that Atiku indeed cooked up the documents he is using to disparage their client shows all parties have thrown processes above board.
This is because since Supreme court seldom take further pleadings from counsel, the parties may be playing in emotions contrary to Ariwoola’s statement that it won’t affect the process and judgement on the current matter or any one for that matter.
Interesting days lies ahead both for the political system and the judiciary which had the final say.