The Atiku-Obi opposition-less opposition to Tinubu’s administration, By Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf

The struggles of Nigeria’s three major political gladiators, Messrs Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are all about power. In essence they are not committed to Nigeria as a nation, and Nigerians as a people. Neither are they concerned about democracy – which is the development (improvement) and humanisation of the political arena. Development itself is the democratisation and humanisation of the economic arena.

The three gladiators are simply interested in grabbing power. Their core business is power – not service to and for the people. This explains why four major issues dominated the 2023 presidential elections.

First, they all played and elevated ethnicity, religion and regionalism to the highest pedestal. All employed money-minded and hypocritical clerics to campaign for them. Secondly, they did not allow the peoples’ vote to count, as they rejigged the 2023 presidential elections. Thirdly, in their respective strongholds, some of their activists physically molested political opponents and voters they suspected might not vote for them, and destroyed their properties. Fourthly, money, blackmail, intimidation, harassment, threats, and insults were what counted more during the campaigns and elections.

The disagreements and quarrels of Atiku and Obi in 2023 was that Tinubu outsmarted them in the rigging match, adjudicated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Therefore, ideas and issues were not the determinants and, still do not count in their current politicking.

Since the May 29, 2023 inauguration of Tinubu, illogical and anti-people policies have been implemented. These include petroleum subsidy removal, devaluation and sinking of the Naira, and, increase in tariffs and taxation.

All these have led to hyperinflation, mass hunger, misery, deindustrialisation, mass unemployment, illiteracy, ravaging diseases and mass depression.

Yet, Atiku and Obi have not been able to effectively challenge Tinubu. They have not asked concrete questions on why our armed forces and security have not been able to neutralise the bandits and terrorists kidnapping, terrorising, raping and killing people all over our country!

None of them has criticised the predatory pro-West, and particularly pro-French foreign policy and practices of the Tinubu administration. Neither have they seriously challenged – not just criticised – the increasing authoritarianism of the Tinubu administration.

Yes, Atiku and Obi lamented Tinubu’s withdrawal of fuel subsidy. But they did it opportunistically and hypocritically. For Atiku: “The haphazard and disingenuous approach of the current administration to fuel subsidy management has been the reason we are in this current economic crisis.”

For Obi: “What they (Tinubu administration) are saying is that petrol subsidy is gone. Electricity subsidy is gone. In fact, soon they will remove the subsidy on air. If they had the chance, they would charge us for air. We are not saying we will not do that. But tell us where it is going.” So, basically, they are not opposed to the removal of fuel subsidy, they only disagree on the style.

On the devaluation of the naira, Atiku said: “Given Nigeria’s underlying economic conditions, adopting a floating exchange would be an overkill. We have encouraged the Central Bank of Nigeria to adopt a gradualist approach to FX management. A managed floating system would have been a preferred option.”

For Obi: “I would have devalued the currency and still ensure that what is available is used by the real sector”, adding that: “You can’t float a currency you don’t supply in control. It is like building a non-gated house in a crime-ridden society.” It was done “haphazardly”, without “a defence mechanism”, without any “adequate supply” of the dollar, and any check on the “pressures and criminality in our FX regime.”

So, like Tinubu, Atiku and Obi are for devaluation. Their problem is the style of devaluating and floating the naira.

The triumvirate are all fanatical disciples and obedient servants of the witchcraft economism of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). In summary, they are all apostles of subsidy removal – no matter how crucial it is to human existence, Naira devaluation and privatisation which is an euphemism for the transfer of our collective national wealth to private pockets.

For instance, during the 2023 presidential election campaign, Tinubu haughtily told Nigerians: “No matter how long you protest ooo, we are going to remove subsidy (on petroleum products); and that is the truth! That is the truth.” Obi arrogantly said: “I can assure you that it (subsidy) will go immediately! Subsidy, I have said it before, is an organised crime. And I cannot allow it to stay a day longer.” While Atiku deceptively said subsidy removal: “is inevitable; that it will happen” but “through negotiations again with the organised labour and other sectors of the economy.”

The three men are for the payment of starvation salaries and pension; the endless pricing of commodities and services out of the reach of the masses and, the pulverisation of the mass of the people.

Equally, they are all for the glorification of the private sector; the shirking of the role of the state in the economy; the continuous weakening of state capacity; and against regulating the insatiable appetite of the private sector to cheat the masses and our country.

Our three ‘gladiators’ are, therefore, anti-development and anti-democracy. None of them is an adherent or a disciple of Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which is the “Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy”.

The Chapter categorically states that Nigerian State shall: “be based on the principles of democracy and social justice”. It insists that the political sphere must be developed and humanized because: “sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority”. It also directs that: “the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

It equally directs that Nigeria’s economic sphere must be democratised and humanised. It states, for instance, that: “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. Secondly, that Nigeria’s resources shall be harnessed, national prosperity promoted and an efficient, dynamic and self- reliant economy, pursued.

Chapter Two also directs government to pursue: “a planned and balanced economic development”; guarantee: “that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good; and ensure: “that the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a group.

It further directs that: “suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens.”

Atiku and Obi, as adherents of IMF and WB neoliberalism, cannot provide any serious and effective opposition to Tinubu, who is more committed and fanatically dedicated to IMF and WB neoliberalism. That task of patriotic and humanistic opposition belongs to forces committed to emancipatory politics which are located in the labour, youth, and professional movement, and society at large.

Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf worked as deputy director, Cabinet Affairs Office, The Presidency, and retired as General Manager (Administration), Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMet). Email: aaramatuyusuf@yahoo.com