“Till today, I will not do Muslim-Muslim ticket. I don’t have to be president because I don’t believe it is right for this country. It is not right; (it) is absolutely wrong. We are multi-ethnic and multi-religious, and our government should reflect our diversity and our composition,” — Atiku Abubakar

Before I begin this piece, let me start with a caveat that I have watched with keen interest the quest by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, to challenge the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election.  

The former Nigerian vice-president, a serial presidential contender, is well within his right to challenge an election in which he was declared a runner-up by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Indeed, I strongly believe contesting the outcome of the election both at the tribunal and the Supreme Court will further strengthen our democracy and set a precedent for future elections. 

As the nation awaits the judgment of the Supreme Court, with fresh evidence by Mr Abubakar questioning the academic profile and credentials of Mr Tinubu from Chicago State University, a future precedent is imminent.

Allegations of certificate forgery against the occupant of the highest office in the land should never be swept under the carpet, and all legitimate means can be used to ensure that the persons who emerge as leaders in our country are men and women of integrity and character. This is more so given that our recent contemporary political history has been replete with leaders who are anything but impeccable in sincerity, character and competence. The reason why our country is in this sorry situation. 

But Atiku’s recent political actions should not be misconstrued as altruistic. Just like your typical Nigerian politician, it is driven by self-interest. This much was on display recently when, on Thursday, October 5, 2023, Atiku Abubakar addressed a press conference. The PDP presidential candidate demonstrated this penchant of Nigerian politicians to take the moral high ground laced with a facade of patriotism while riding on public angst in the pursuit of their political ambition.

Nothing demonstrated this other than the answer the PDP flag bearer gave to a question about his political relationship with Tinubu while using the opportunity to double down on his opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election. 

Atiku, who was responding to a question from a journalist on a claim by a presidential spokesman that he betrayed Tinubu by requesting the President’s academic records from the Chicago State University, said he had parted ways with Tinubu politically after the former Lagos State governor wanted to be his running mate in 2007. 

He said: “I beg to disagree (on betrayal allegation) with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yes, it is true that in 2007, we came together to form an alliance in Lagos, and at the convention, I contested and got the ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent about five or six seniors – some of them are here – I can even name them, but I don’t want to embarrass them. 

“They met me and said to me that Bola wanted to be my running mate. I said to them, ‘gentlemen, you’re all old enough, and apparently, virtually all of you are Christians’ with the exception of one person. What will be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket? 

“All of them said we totally objected to it and I said why didn’t you tell him when he was giving you the message that look Mr Tinubu, the message you’re sending us, we don’t seem to agree with you on it (Muslim-Muslim ticket). Why are you coming to me? And that was the end of our political relationship. We broke away, so what is the ground for him to say that I betrayed him? 

“Till today, I won’t do a Muslim-Muslim ticket; I don’t have to be president; we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious people, and our government must reflect our diversity, and our composition must reflect the same.” 

As I listened to Atiku wax sanctimonious above about why Muslim-Muslim refused a joint ticket with Tinubu in 2007, and why he still does not support an all-Muslim joint ticket in the 2023 presidential election, my first reaction was disbelief. 

What do politicians take the citizens for? Do they consider Nigerians a bunch of people incapable of reasoning or gullible that they are incapable of seeing through the deceit and faux patriotism they project? Atiku said he would not do a Muslim-Muslim ticket because, according to him, “we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious people, and our government must reflect our diversity, and our composition must reflect the same.” Really? Yes, I agree with him that the leadership composition in our country must reflect our diversity. 

This has become more imperative given that the Buhari administration violated Nigeria’s federal character principle in his eight years as president, leaving the country’s disparate ethnic nationalities in a state of heightened conflict and distrust. In his speech at the conference, Atiku insisted he would not do a Muslim-Muslim ticket. 

But this leaves me with several questions. If Atiku is opposed to the Muslim-Muslim ticket, is he not aware that by jettisoning his party’s zoning policy that ceded power to southern Nigeria in the run-up to the 2023 elections, he is also in violation of the spirit of equity and justice? Did he not know that he put the country’s unity at risk, and this also encompasses ethnic and religious balance?

Does Atiku not know that by insisting on being his party’s candidate, he violated its zoning policy to ensure a southerner takes power after eight years of a northern Muslim, Buhari? Is his insistence on contesting as PDP flag bearer not a perpetuation of northern Muslim domination of the presidency after eight years of Buhari? If Atiku had won the election and become Nigeria’s president, would that not have been a continuation of a Muslim-Muslim presidency? And if he completes a term of four years, would he have not sought another term, making 16 years of northern domination and presidency? 

Atiku decries APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket but sees nothing wrong in violating his party’s zoning that would have ensured a rotational presidency. Is his candidacy not a Muslim-Muslim ticket from the backdoor? I know some may argue that he belongs to a different party, but isn’t this the reason why the political elite across party lines rotate the presidency to reflect our diversity? Do people not see the hypocrisy of Abubakar Atiku’s position? The irony and incongruity of the reason Atiku gave for not supporting the Muslim-Muslim ticket is, at best, self-serving as it is insincere. 

Supporters of Atiku may argue that his choice of Ifeanyi Okowa, the former Delta State governor, as vice-presidential candidate balances Nigeria’s ethnic spread. But we all know how useless the position of vice is in this democracy given our contemporary political history. If Nigeria’s winner takes all-powerful presidency, Atiku’s quest for power after Buhari would have been northern Muslim domination of the presidency for at least 16 years. Atiku does not have the moral right to condemn APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. His candidacy was a Muslim-Muslim ticket through the backdoor and perpetuation of ethnic domination.

That, to me, is hypocrisy.