Politics
Atiku’s presidential ambition in jeopardy, as intra-power play with Babachir intensifies
By Daniel Auta
Atiku Abubakar’s quest. to contest another presidential election on the crest of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) stands at a monumental risk over an intractable leadership crisis with the party’s North East national Vice chairman, Babachir David Lawal.
While Atiku on one hand, is highly disposed to the leadership of Shehu Yohanna, on the other hand, Lawal is working round the clock to ensure the leadership of Mustapha Arabi prevails.
But while the two leaders continue to flex muscles over who will lead the party in the state, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and Waziri Adamawa may become the potential victim of the intra power play in the state as the situation may cost him the chance to contest the next general election going by the party’s and Nigerian statutes.
From the point of the law, Atiku’s chance of flying the party’s flag in 2027 may be truncated on the altar of his support for Shehu Yohanna, a legal practitioner, Barr. Olu Funsho predicted.
The legal luminary said, it is surprising that a politician of Atiku’s standing who has weathered the storm will allow a very trivial but costly issue to stand on his way to fulfilling his life ambition.
”Atiku stands a monumental risk of losing his lifetime ambition of flying the ADC’s flag if he continues to support the chairmanship of Shehu Yohanna. Because of a recent landmark judgement by an Adamawa State high court, Yohanna has lost all grounds to serve as the party’s chairman.
”On the other hand, the candidate whom Lawal is supporting, in person of Mustapha Arabi has also lost out as the court also nullified his claim of leadership based on his sack by the NWC and NEC of the party over anti party activities and other sundry offences.
”But the most important point here is that unlike Atiku, Lawal as it appears does not nurture any ambition though there are subtle rumours that he may contest for governorship of Adamawa in future elections. It is better for Atiku to be told in clear language that his support for Yohanna may at the end prove costly,” Funsho disclosed.
This paper learnt that since the formation of the coalition in Adamawa State, ADC has been smarting from one crisis to another leading to the formation of many splinter groups with each claiming leadership of the party.
But the simmering crisis came to a head when the North East zonal working committee dissolved the Yohanna led exco and in its place, appointed the Saidu Komsiri led faction based on what it called glaring circumvention of the party’s constitution.
Yohanna who was not happy with his dissolution and the appointment of the Komsiri led caretaker committee, approached a Yola High Court IX with a prayer to nullify his dissolution and appointment of the Komsiri led caretaker committee.
Yohanna and one other in the legal suite joined Umar Sulaiman, Sadiq Dasin, Saidu Komsiri, Babachir David Lawal, NWC and ADC as respondents.
But while delivering his judgement, Justice Benjamin Manji noted that both Mustapha Arabi and Yohanna Shehu have lost out as they were sacked by the relevant organs of the party with the constitutional prerogative to do so going by the party’s statutes.
But surprisingly, Atiku and Babachir were variously in support of the two chairmen whose leadership had been nullified by the court as intra power play for the control of the party intensified.
Commenting further, Barr Funsho noted that if Atiku continues to support a chairman who has lost legitimacy on account of the court’s judgement, then there is the possibility that in the future, all actions taken by the chairman including holding congresses and party primaries may be nullified.
”Atiku is one of the most powerful candidates with the highest chance to defeat the incumbent president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigerians who are disappointed with the leadership style of the APC government may be waiting for Atiku to show up. But when the chips are down, Atiku may be disqualified for also not allowing internal party democracy to thrive in ADC by imposing an illegitimate chairman in his state,” Funsho added.
This paper learnt that based on the stance of the two gladiators, reconciliation will be difficult to come by as the two leaders seemingly adopted an uncompromising stance.
What signaled the festering rift was a recent function performed by Sadiq Dasin in absolute and total defiance to the directives of the national leader of the party and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.
Despite the anointment of Shehu Yohanna by Atiku, Dasin during the inauguration of Local Government Transition Committees in Madagali and Michika openly presented Mustapha Arabi as the chairman of the party against the court verdict and directives of the party leader Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking at the ceremony in Gulak and Madagali Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, Dasin urged committee members to strictly follow the guidelines establishing the transition structures and to work diligently to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence.
Speaking to our reporter on condition of anonymity because he has no mandate to speak, an Atiku’s associate said the action of Dasin constitutes the highest form of disloyalty, insubordination and disrespect to the national leader of the party, Atiku Abubakar.
” The action of Dasin constitutes a monumental affront and insubordination to Atiku Abubakar. And I believe he’s doing that to prove his loyalty to BD Lawan.
”His resort to parade Arabi as the ADC State Chairman instead of Yohana as preferred by Waziri signalled where he belonged to in the ensuing tussle for control of the levers of power in the party.
”It is unfortunate that Dasin will allow himself to be used as a willing tool in sabotaging Atiku whose support is responsible for the present position he is occupying. But I’m not surprised by such double standards considering the man at the center of it,” he said.
But apart from disobeying Atiku’s directives, the actions of Dasin who is a renowned lawyer, may come under serious legal scrutiny on account of the court judgment which nullified Arabi’s leadership claim and the guidelines of the transition implementation committee which mandated him to work closely with the existing legacy party in such appointments across the state.
In order to convince the people for a buy-in, Sadiq Dasin was said to be deploying half truths by revealing that the court has quashed the leadership of Shehu Yohanna but conveniently concealed the verdict on his preferred chairman.
Commenting on the matter, Funsho noted that “for the expediency of legal correctness, the best thing to do by all the two factions is to carry Saidu Komsiri whose leadership has been affirmed by the court so that the actions they are taking now and even in the future will not be voided and rendered useless.
”And you know what that means, the future congresses of the party will be set aside, their party primaries nullified and even Atiku’s candidature may be affected on the altar of being founded on a shaky and weak foundation.”
A source privy to developments in the party told our correspondent that Atiku has realized making a fatal mistake in his choice of Babachir David Lawal and Sadiq Dasin who are working with some renowned forces in the party to frustrate his choices and preferences.
The source told our reporter that the forces bankrolling the rebellion against Atiku include the former governor of the state, Umar Jibrilla Bindow, Umar Sulaiman and Aziz Nyako who are now shifting their loyalty to Babachir as the power interplay in the party continues to simmer.
This paper learnt that irked by the inconsistencies, arrogance and skewed treatment of different stakeholders of the party, Sen. Ishaku Abbo openly announced the withdrawal of his support and recognition to the Dasin led transition committee.
Abbo, in a strongly-worded statement, accused Dasin of “haughtiness, injustice and a tendency to place personal interest above the collective stability of the party.”
He said his initial commitment to the Dasin leadership was premised on the belief that it would foster internal cohesion and reposition the ADC ahead of the next political cycle.
However, he noted that recent developments proved that the committee had drifted from its core mandate.
According to him, the Dasin committee has allegedly sidelined critical stakeholders, ignored reconciliation efforts, and adopted an “overbearing style of administration” that undermines the spirit of inclusiveness the party requires to survive its ongoing turbulence.
Abbo warned that unless urgent measures are taken to instil fairness and rebuild trust, the party risks losing its relevance in Adamawa’s competitive political landscape. He reiterated his belief in the ideology of the ADC but insisted he could not “continue to support a leadership structure that elevates arrogance over justice.”
But a political analyst Mr. Yerima Jatau while commenting on the matter opined that the ADC is fast losing its goodwill because the party is also behaving like the two dominant political parties in the country.
”Atiku and Babachir should allow constitutionality, rule of law and respect for democracy to determine what happens in the party. Nigerians have invested a lot of confidence in the party and are willing to assist it to grab power from APC. But the way things are unfolding, ADC may even be worse than the two biggest political parties.
”It is my candid opinion that the two gladiators should stop playing with our intelligence and respect court decision by allowing Saidu Komsiri to take his rightful place as the chairman caretaker committee of ADC in Adamawa State otherwise the party will also go in shambles like its monstrous brothers. A stitch in time saves nine,” he said.
