By Bala Mijinyawa Mohammed
Tenacity and audacity seem to be Atiku Abubakar’s middle name. The former Nigerian Vice-President has finally fixed Sunday August 15, 2010 to declare his presidential ambition, against all perceived odds. His anti-zoning posture pits him against powerful forces within the PDP, including the President’s men who perceive his insistence to contest as a disruptive intrusion into their game plan to make President Goodluck Jonathan to contest in 2011.

Although Atiku Abubakar has repeatedly made it very clear that he has nothing personally against the President by seeking to become a President in 2011, he is still treated with suspicion by Goodluck’s foot soldiers.

Abubakar’s contention is that the zoning principle, which produced Jonathan as a former Vice to the late President Yar’adua, should be respected in the interest of unity, stability, sense of belonging, equity and justice.

In fact, Atiku has argued that these factors were the very reason he resisted the pressure to run against former President Obasanjo in 2003. Zoning, he frequently asserted, has so far served the positive objective of reducing the fear of domination by one section over another.

Several pro-zoning advocates like Atiku believe that abandoning zoning at the expense of unity and political stability is not a good omen for Nigeria . In particular, Atiku and other zoning supporters insist that the issue is not only about honour, morality and principle, but also protecting the overriding longer-term interest of the nation.

In their wisdom, Nigeria ’s unity should not be sacrificed on the altar of short-term gain by those anti-zoning elements who only present one side of the picture to President Goodluck Jonathan.

What may have strengthened the conviction of Atiku Abubakar is the fact that even prominent and well-respect southern leaders such as Chief Olu Falae and Professor Tam David-West are not too comfortable with the insistence of pro-Jonathan group that zoning is unconstitutional. In what appears to be one of his frankest interviews with a national newspaper (weekly), former Petroleum Minister, Professor Tam David West said he would be proud if a Niger Delta man becomes the first-ever elected President from the Southern minorities.

The Professor of Virology, however, said that he would not be happy to see Goodluck become president in circumstances that may potentially sow the seeds of bitterness in the country. He disagreed with those who argue that Goodluck has no choice but to run. According to him, “even in life and death, a man has a choice.”

Atiku supporters, therefore, believe that the principle of zoning has nothing to do with north or south but the unity of Nigeria .

Indeed, Professor David-West’s position can go a long way to reinforce the arguments of pro-zoning advocates like Atiku Abubakar who believe the expediency arrangement can give all Nigerians access to the presidency without any hindrance. However, to some observers, Atiku’s decision to officially declare his ambition is like taking the bull by the horns. His determination to run appears to give some ammo to forces grimly determined to stop his full return to the PDP.

The Murtala Nyako administration in Adamawa State has consistently resisted Atiku’s full return to the PDP because of his determination to secure a second term ticket. He has desperately lobbied the national headquarters to stop Atiku’s return or halt the impending dissolution of the Adamawa State exco of the PDP.

At one point, the Murtala Nyako group boasted that they didn’t need Atiku and that they have been wining elections without him. With hostility at home, some observers wonder why Atiku should throw his hat into the ring once again. On the contrary, however, Atiku has more influence than his domestic opponents are ready to admit.

Just recently, leaders of the Nyako faction of the PDP were removed from the Adamawa State House of Assembly – including the Speaker, his deputy and the Majority Leader.

The event has opened the eyes of those misleading the national headquarters of the PDP into believing that Atiku is of no political consequence and therefore, his return would add no value to the party. Despite the seeming overwhelming influence of incumbency, the fall of Nyako’s men in the House of Assembly must have forced the Adamawa State Governor to quietly swallow the bitter pill of political reality. As a Hausa proverb goes, the little grass that you despise can pierce your eyes!

Atiku Abubakar is not a quitter; he doesn’t seem to allow conspiracy to scare him away from the legitimate political course he sets himself upon. Sure, many observers may wonder why he should take the risk of challenging an incumbent President in the race for the nation’s highest public office.

The former Vice-President, however, believes that in a free and fair election, he has nothing to fear: he has the experience, passion for service, the competence, broadmindedness and a credible national structure.

To the questions by critics who wonder what he wants again, after serving for eight years under former President Obasanjo, Atiku’s answer is straightforward: the constitution doesn’t bar him as a former Vice President from contesting the nation’s highest office.

Again, he strenuously argues that for a former Vice President to make impact on the polity according to his vision and passion for service, he must seek to become a President.

There is no dispute that, under our presidential system, a Vice President is at the mercy of the President and cannot and could not have exercised powers outside those the President was pleased to give him. In fact, it is usually argued that even if a Vice President has a different idea of how best to implement the policies of the government he serves, he is helpless or straitjacketed to do anything.

The situation is even worse when you are dealing with a know-all President – the kind of situation we had under former President Obasanjo.

The controversy, alleged corruption and disregard for due process, which attended the implementation of the so-called National Integrated Power Projects, was a good example of how limited a Vice President could be in the day to day running of government. When a Minister enjoys more influence on policy direction and can sway the President more than his deputy, the Vice President becomes a mere figurehead.

It was understandably, therefore, why Atiku Abubakar didn’t enmesh himself in the controversy that attended the power projects, for which according to Vice President Namadi Sambo, 10 billion dollars have been spent so far without the anticipated results.

Atiku Abubakar has his own ideas of how to implement the policy of improving the nation’s deteriorating national infrastructure. To do this, however, he needs to become a President to execute his policy document according to his vision. His 2007 policy document was brilliantly produced and very far-reaching.

He assembled some of Nigeria ’s best and brightest to produce the policy document, entitled “From Reform to Prosperity”. Essentially, he believes that it is not enough for an economy to do well when the people wallow in abject poverty. On the Niger Delta, the policy document promises to tackle the paradox of poverty in an area which produces more than 90 percent of national wealth.

Even at a cursory glance, Atiku’s policy document is one of the best researched, insightful, easily implementable and practical strategies to tackling Nigeria ’s basic challenges of social and economic development.

The document will instantly dispel any notion that Atiku is not prepared for the nation’s highest public office. But for the conspiracies and petty jealousies of his former boss, Atiku Abubakar seemed most prepared to succeed former President Obasanjo.

Atiku’s supporters believe that if there was any reason that stopped Atiku from becoming a PDP presidential candidate in 2007, incompetence or lack of preparation had nothing to do with it. Obasanjo knew Atiku was eminently qualified to succeed him. However, haunted by the memory of wounded pride, arising from the collapse of his third term ambition in May 2006, the former President exacted his revenge on Atiku who refused to support the project because it breached Nigeria ’s constitution that limited Obasanjo to two terms.

Atiku’s love of humanity, in the eyes of admirers, makes him a natural leader; he feels the pulse of the ordinary man which makes him a grassroots leader. His broad-mindedness and cosmopolitan outlook to life also makes him the ideal national leader who has risen above ethnic, religious and regional bigotry. Above all, Atiku believes more in consensus rather than command in his dealings with fellow politicians; he does not pretend to know all the answers, which has always been the major weakness of the dictators.

He is incredibly detribalized and went on record to support his Christian deputy, Mr. Boni Haruna, to succeed him 1999 when Obasanjo picked Atiku as his Vice President after being freshly elected as the Governor of Adamawa State. A reputation for kindness should be a virtue in the life of any politician and Atiku Abubakar is evidently endowed with these qualities.

Robert Green, the author of 48 Laws of Power, emphasizes the significance of what he calls strategic generosity, which is an essential quality for any politician. The former Vice President has a stubborn passion for excellence. In every project or intiative on which he is committed, there is always a touch of excellence.

The American University of Nigeria (AUN), located in Yola, his home state, is one of the best equipped in the world and that boasts of tough and enviable academic standards.