Atiku under attack for defecting to APC
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s
defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives
Congress is the subject of a raging controversy on the Internet.
The development has not only ignited reactions among Nigerians, it has also divided many of his followers online.
Some friends of the Turakin Adamawa, who
read a statement in which he indicated his intention to dump the ruling
party, have expressed their dissatisfaction with his latest move. Many
of them actually accused him of indulging in what they described as
“political prostitution”.
Some of Atiku’s cyber-friends said the
consultations made by him were not exhaustive enough, since he failed to
seek their collective opinion before moving to the APC.
One Femi Haruna wrote on Atiku’s Facebook
wall, “Your Excellency, I must say that your consultation was not
enough! Are we your friends on Facebook not part of your political
family? Or you don’t think our opinion matters? I am your loyalist. But,
as regards this decision to join APC, I assure you that you are about
to lose our loyalty!”
Also accusing the former VP of engaging
in political prostitution, Osolease Alfred-Ehis said in his post that
Atiku was “shamelessly returning to his vomit.”
Alfred-Ehis wrote, “This is what is
called political prostitution. Atiku left PDP and joined the now,
defunct Action Congress. After losing out on the presidential ticket, he
went back to the PDP.
“When he discovered that he no longer had
a voice in the PDP, he formed a new party, the Peoples Democratic
Movement, with his friends. After he realised that his new political
party was not viable, he consulted with himself in his bedroom and
decided to move to the APC.
“And you (Atiku) want Nigerians to trust
you, an unstable and unprincipled politician that is shamelessly
returning to his vomit, with their votes? Come on, sir, Nigerians are
wiser than that. Forget about the Presidency!”
Expressing concern over the move, one
Ubong Williams said he hoped that Atiku had not lost political
direction. “The last time I checked, you left PDP to ACN, returned to
PDP and left again to APC. Sir, with due respect, don’t you think your
political prostitution will impact negatively on your integrity and
principles? Do you expect us to keep following you about when you appear
to have lost direction?”
Some online activists did not spare
Atiku, too. They accused him of literally jumping from one party to
another, just as a political blogger, Babatunde Rosanwo, described his
defection as a “one chance” political philosophy.
Describing the former VP’s action,
Rosanwo tweeted, “When he wins or not, he decamps to find bread and
butter again. When he does not get the APC 2015 presidential ticket, he
will port back to PDP to wait for the PDP 2019 presidential ticket.
“If he (Atiku) was alienated from the PDP
since his return, why wait until 2014? His consultations were just a
mere façade. He was no longer relevant in PDP with Jonathan in control. I
am not against defection, but I will focus more on intents in context.
He can continue with his one-chance tactics.”
Another political blogger, Kayode
Ogundamisi, said Atiku could be described as a serial political
prostitute. “Political prostitution is a legitimate tool in politics.
However, serial political prostitution puts a huge question mark on
credibility,” he wrote on Twitter.
Another Twitter user, Master Yemi, seemed
to be worried that Atiku’s culture of defection will pass a wrong
message to Nigerian youths interested in playing politics in the near
future. “Why is he coming in and going out like a revolving door? Abeg! I
wonder what message Atiku is passing on to the youth of today with the
way he’s jumping in and out of bed with APC/ACN and PDP,” Yemi said in
his tweet.
Although Atiku has not responded to any of the online critics, one of his sons, Mustapha, defended his latest political move.
Mustapha called his father’s Twitter
critics “rotting mouths” and advised them to “brush up their
intelligence” before concluding that his father’s defection to APC was
“in order.”
He tweeted, “I don’t get hurt when people
take on my dad (Atiku). Atiku’s decision is in order. PDP has abandoned
its founding principles and long left Nigerians with its anti people
policies. Those who know you (Atiku) know very well that you’ll do
anything possible to rescue Nigeria and as much as you love PDP, you
love Nigeria more.”
Another respondent on Facebook, Bisi
Awosanya, urged Nigerians to respect Atiku’s choice, irrespective of
what transpired in the past. “Your Excellency, I respect your choice.
The political landscape in Nigeria at this time in my own reasoning as I
am not on ground at this time is very volatile and subjective. You have
been active all along and I believe you are very well equipped about
matters of choices and decision. The consideration in the long run must
be alleviating the living standard of ordinary Nigerians,” Awosanya
said.
