Pendulum: Why Atiku’s US Trip is a Super Coup Against APC By; Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, this season of jolliness and bonhomie has not
been the best of times for the ruling party, APC, and certainly not
for its Presidential flagbearer, President Muhammadu Buhari.

It may not be unfair to say that this has been one of the worst
weeks since the President returned to power on May 29, not May 19,
2015. The President has come under a barrage of social media
attacks for series of gaffes on his part in recent time. The first
was the interview he granted the Editors of Thisday newspapers and
their sister station, the fast rising, Arise News Channel. That
amateurish video production was so dire and awful that had it not
emanated from the Presidency it would have been condemned
immediately as trash. As it is, it seems symptomatic of the malaise
currently dogging the President and his team.

The story was told of how the President’s handlers insisted they
must handle the recording themselves and hand the tape over to
Arise News Channel. That is fine, no problem, but the production
turned out to be beneath acceptable standards of journalism and
certainly belied the efficiency and perfection one would expect
from the Presidential Team. The audio and vision were not the best,
not to talk of the meat of the interview itself. The President came
across as someone not too sure, or confident, of himself, and what
his job entails. The unfortunate display which was avidly
circulated by social media aficionados did not compliment the
President at all.

As if that was not bad enough, there was yet another interview,
in quick, rapid-fire succession, organised on the government-owned
NTA. This one was a total PR disaster for President Buhari despite
the fact that the cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo
was co-interviewed by one of the best television personalities in
Nigeria, and beyond, Kadaira Ahmed, and in his inimitable
intellectual, charismatic and charming manner, the Vice-President
tried to limit the damage being done by his boss. As much as the
interviewer tried to be mild-mannered and pleasant, unlike her
usual combative style, the interview just didn’t flow in the right
directions. Opportunities were missed and justifications and
explanations were stilted. There were just too many negative
soundbites which ignited cyberspace and in no time went viral
globally.

As they say, when it rains it pours, and this was the case for
APC, two days ago, when The Boss, a popular online newspaper, broke
the news of Atiku Abubakar’s trip to the United States of America.
For over a decade Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had not been able to obtain
a US visa talk less of travelling in that direction. It was one of
the nagging questions I posed to him when I got an exclusive
session with him in Lagos, long before he won the PDP ticket. His
answer became a major point of controversy, as he told me,
candidly, that he had applied for American visa and was yet to be
granted. Naturally, his political enemies went ballistic and
taunted me and him endlessly about his inability to enter the US,
as if I was his spokesperson and more importantly as if a visit to
the US was indeed a precondition for winning the Presidential
election. Many swore that he would never surmount that obstacle,
matter-of-factly. They stubbornly rejected the notion that if Atiku
was afraid of America, he would never have attempted to apply for a
visa, in the first instance and, that, if America wanted him so
badly, he would have been granted the visa so that he could be
snared and entrapped, or in the absence of that, he would have been
put under International Police (Interpol) watch, and he would have
long since been picked up on one of his frequent trips abroad.
Truth is logic no longer knows logic in our climes.

So, it was assumed that Atiku and America were on permanent
divorce, due to irreconcilable differences. At a point, even the
ruling party warned the United States not to be swayed or tempted
to issue him the much sought-after visa, and everyone wondered if
it was their business to dictate to America. Now, let’s fast
forward. Atiku won the Presidential ticket of PDP and went about
his business. His victory was dismissed by the APC as a non-event
and its supporters even boasted, openly, that Atiku will never
defeat Buhari. They never forgot to end by adding, “a man who
cannot attempt to enter America.” But the ways of God are not the
ways of man. The men of power began to flex muscles and subjected
Atiku to subliminal attacks. A Vice-President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria for eight years, from 1999 to 2007, some
courtesies that used to be extended to him were suddenly withdrawn.
His plane was frisked, and he complained about being searched, more
than usual, on return from one of his foreign trips, but the
gentleman bore it all with equanimity. In no time, thereafter,
rumours began to fly about the seeming and perceived intimidation
of his supporters. His campaign found it tough to raise needed
funds. No one wanted to fall into the hands of Buhari’s goons. But
Atiku remained defiant and trudged on, like the old Roman soldier.
His campaign was dissed as lacklustre, and not able to match
Buhari’s fire-power and razzmatazz.

All seemed tight and tough for Atiku but he maintained a steady
focus. His campaign started at a slow but steady pace.
Surprisingly, he kept packing the crowds, while the Director
General of The Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign and The
President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki,
remained uncharacteristically upbeat. He was dancing so much at
rallies that many began to wonder the source of his sauce. He
constantly lit up the campaigns. Saraki and former Ekiti State
Governor, Ayodele Fayose, stewed so much as they danced Shaku Shaku
style and tried to compete with our best choreographers. We didn’t
have to wait long for answers to the posers. It landed, without
warning, at my desk Thursday afternoon. I was on a flight from
Monrovia, Liberia to Lagos, Nigeria, and was in transit in Accra
Ghana, when it landed, thunderously. Scoops are the best meals of
journalists. It won’t be wrong to call them our opium.

Before we took off, I quickly drafted an urgent press release
which I fired to our Editors. Their initial response was that of
incredulity, but I told them to shoot immediately. No other media
group should beat us to this. You only get such exclusives once in
a green moon.

By the time we landed in Lagos, I rushed to put on my phone and
ran to open my biggest addiction, Twitter, something I share in
common with President Donald Trump. I was happy our story was
everywhere but sad our mainstream media seemed unable to confirm
the biggest story of the year, or too scared to take a risk because
they felt it was an impossibility.

As soon as we disembarked, and I climbed into my waiting car, I
zoomed to work on my phone, frantically. I called some impeccable
contacts who gave me the blow by blow account of how Atiku left
Nigeria, unannounced, and obtrusively, on his most important
journey ever, the game-changer any politician would wish for,
exactly one month to the biggest election of all time. I called the
Editors and fired some more authoritative gist. We did an update on
how Atiku left Lagos, in company of Saraki and Senator Ben Murray
Bruce and others. Then my phones began to buzz. I was told Daily
Trust has debunked our story based on an interview granted them by
Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe. I simply ignored the talk of the
story being fake. I expected Paul to avoid being so categorical
but… We moved on knowing news bomb would soon explode and expose
whoever was right or wrong.

Shortly after, I saw the story on Cable News, owned by my dear
Brother, Simon Kolawole, and I said now we are inching closer to an
eventful evening. Then, at The Boss, we did our last update before
everywhere finally exploded. This time, it was how Atiku’s plane
filed a flight plan to London, from where it changed and headed to
Washington. All this while doubters, and APC supporters, were on my
case, flashing the Daily Trust story at me, but I remained
unperturbed. I saw a Punch story that the Nigerian Embassy said it
was aware of Atiku’s presence in the US. I smiled to myself,
knowing very soon, they will know by which technology he navigated
his way to America. Soon, and very soon, we shall see the Wazirin
in America. I already queued up for the first pictures. And it
came.


That was how in one second, Atiku, or the Atikulated campaign,
took off with uncommon favour and fervour. My dear friends in APC
went quiet, a few threw the usual tantrums. I had expected them to
pretend a little, but they couldn’t hide their shock and, possibly,
disappointment in America. By yesterday, my big Brother, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed came out of the grove to declare, majestically, that if
Atiku likes, he can pick up a green card in America and stay there
for as long as he wants. Wow, he was not done. He became an instant
Prosecutor, or Minister of Justice, EFCC boss or Supreme Court
Justice, when he pronounced Atiku guilty of bank fraud and
malfeasance, and that he should be ready to answer questions about
the collapse of Bank PHB, upon his return. This coming after about
one day gone in the United States, and one month to the start of
the general elections. Lord have mercy.

Why is APC fighting on all fronts? Who is misleading my friends
and, once upon a time, fellow Buharists. Are they not tired of this
commotion, tension and confusion. Not too long ago, the Senate
President and the legislature; more recently, the CJN and the
Judiciary; now the leader of opposition, Atiku Abubakar. My
prediction is very simple and straight-forward.


It seems to me that APC needs a miracle to win the next
election, if it continues to follow this destructive path. APC has
inflicted these difficult times on itself. I am not sure that some
of the distinguished party faithful are not working directly
against the interests of the party and its presidential candidate.
There are apparently Fifth Columnists abroad! Otherwise, the only
other thing that can be said is that the party appears to be hell
bent on following the PDP template for rejection and failure that
the same APC constantly and serially condemned just before the last
elections.

All the party’s antics now smack of great desperation and panic
attack as they seek to land the plum job of President of Nigeria.
The senior members should have summoned the courage to advise the
President to serve only one term, especially after his health
failed so spectacularly two years ago. His amiable, cerebral and
inspired Vice-President would have taken over and unified the
country. But hell no, they didn’t see the need. How on earth, and
at this time and age, did APC expect Buhari to run a serious
campaign and manage a big and complex country like Nigeria, given
all that seems to be wrong? At least the President was honest
enough to acknowledge this when he ceded leadership of the campaign
to the irrepressible Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The only problem is
that this gambit itself appears to have backfired as the President
has made more appearances on the campaign trail and hustings than
the appointed leader of the campaign.


I’m wondering if APC remembers the promises made to Nigerians
to make the economy better, corruption exterminated, the Naira
stronger and security tighter. In good conscience, have they
delivered? This, will be answered hopefully next month, when the
people troop out to vote.

Congratulations to Atiku on what is turning out to be a good
trip for him both at home and abroad. The APC is jittery and this
alone may be worth the medal for Atiku. Meanwhile, we await your
arrival and looking forward to your trial …

God help Nigeria.