By Sufuyan Ojeifo

Even before voting got under away at the recent presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Port Harcourt, Atiku Abubakar was looking every inch the man to face President Muhammadu Buhari in the scheduled February 16, 2019 election.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar,

His gait, his deportment and his delivery within the three minutes allotted to each aspirant to address party delegates were demonstrably presidential.

Atiku spoke with knowledge, candour and self-belief. He spoke with gravitas and certainly won for himself some more votes at the PDP’s elective convention.   He is rest assured that much more votes would come his way in the forthcoming presidential election.

To be clear, it was not that the other aspirants, who addressed the delegates on the night of October 6, were not as good; it was just that Atiku, enjoying a backend endorsement, majestically hugged the limelight as he spoke with the confidence of someone who knows what the issues are about and how to deal with them.

Now, in the race for the presidency of Nigeria, the former vice president brags about his understanding of the reasons the Nigerian economy, which was touted to be among the fastest growing in the world just four years ago, is now gasping for breath.

2019: I’ll reward you all, Atiku assures PDP Presidential aspirants

He claims to comprehend how some wrong-headed choices had plunged the economy into recession within months of the APC government and, more importantly, how the prostrate economy can be resuscitated and grown to create wealth through private sector participation and leadership.

The level of youth unemployment in the country as a result of the poor economy is rightly identified by Atiku as a ticking bomb waiting to explode. At the level of private individual, he has been in the business of creating jobs in several sectors of the economy and, perhaps, more than any other candidate in the presidential race, he can illustrate practically how he will create jobs for the army of unemployed youths in the land.

Former Ondo state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko

Recall that Atiku also spoke at the primary election on the most crucial issue in Nigeria today, which is the apparent disunity in the land. The truth which he acknowledged is the fact that Nigerians have never been as divided as they are today with nepotism elevated to the level of official state policy by the present government.

President Buhari’s disposition to govern on the basis of “97% versus 5%” of those who voted for him has served to exemplify that egregious leadership flaw. Perhaps to reinforce his nepotistic tendency, the president had been either rightly or wrongly accused of appointing people who share filial relationship with him into key public positions, especially in the presidency.

But Atiku believes that time is running out on our country hence there is an urgent need to get Nigeria working again. He is, however, not the only presidential candidate who believes that Nigeria can work again with the right attitude and leadership in place. This is clearly the position that has been taken by former Ondo state governor and presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. In his declaration speech, Mimiko, like Atiku, shares the same sentiments on what could be done to get our country working again.