Atiku is smiling with decampees

While indications are profound that the camp of former military leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, is still angry as a result of the consensus candidate from the North organized by the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) under the leadership of Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization is smiling with decampees from the President Goodluck Jonathan's camp.

My advise to Babangida's loyalists is that they have to take that consensus outcome as a matter of fate, which Atiku is endowed with. They should stop being at the crossroads, but rather, should see in Atiku as the way forward since the declaration by the Ciroma-led committee.

While Babangida has publicly declared his support for Atiku and the consensus option, his camp should completely support Atiku. Babangida's loyalists should vow to work for Abubakar and should stop the search for the way out.

Babangida should devoid any form of pressure from his supporters. His letter to the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, reportedly addressing the failure of the party to enforce the zoning rule and keep President Goodluck Jonathan out of the 2011 race as a reason for his possible defection from the PDP should be checkmated. All and sundry with the fundamental right to contest election in Nigeria should be allowed. But if there was any agreement of power rotation in the PDP, let such agreement be.

Babangida's camp and everybody concerned in the forthcoming election should make peace. Nigerians should eschew the lukewarm support attitude. It isn't difficult for core IBB supporters to back Atiku. It is a possibility! Traducers should stop causing chaos that IBB spent the eight years of Obasanjo's tenure plotting how to stop Atiku from becoming the most powerful northern leader. This is to derail IBB's loyalists to key into Atiku's leadership.

The threat by General Babangida to dump the PDP should not be creating tension in the PDP or within the Mallam Adamu Ciroma-led NPLF. Democracy is always like that. Such threat should not be considered as “more of anti-Atiku” but a democratic outcome.

IBB and the PDP members should recognize zoning, as an internal affair of the PDP, and not a personal issue.

The pro-Jonathan group known as Goodluck Jonathan Support Group (GJSG) that decamped to the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization, the action is democratic. After all, has about 100 pro-Jonathan groups not dumped President Goodluck Jonathan for Atiku Abubakar ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries?

Dr. Brian Wilfredis Special Assistant (Media) to Prince Tonye Princewill, Port Harcourt.