ATIKU ABUBAKAR, A CONSESUS CANDIDATE WITHOUT A REAL CONSENSUS?

 

Technically speaking, Abubakar Atiku lost 4-5 in the final vote for a northern consensus candidate; five out of the nine northern elders electoral officers voted against his candidacy including the father of consensus himself, Adamu Ciroma. Icheoku says that with less than half of all the votes cast received by Atiku, it is a misnomer to still call him the consensus northern candidate for president because he does not have a comprehensive mandate. By consensus is meant that all parties have agreed without let that the candidate be declared unopposed as the choice of all aka CONSENSUS CANDIDATE. But Atiku only got minority votes of four and not majority five or consensus of nine; yet he is their 'consensus candidate?'

Atiku also have a lot of baggage and obstacles to contend with to clinch the PDP presidential candidacy talkless of being elected president of Nigeria; including his former boss Obasanjo who swore long ago never to let Atiku become president under his watch. Icheoku says, hopefully those northern elders forum electors gave this Obasanjo's 'No Atiku' stand the serious thought it so badly deserves. Atiku also barely scraped through past the evil genius Babangida, who would have easily been the north's strongest challenge to President Jonathan and therefore the north's best shot.

Anyway Icheoku is waiting and watching; but with just only 4 votes against Babangida's 3 and Saraki's 2; Atiku's consensus is suspect as his votes tally is not highly reflective of a typical consensus candidate's votes. With such a thin margin of 1 against Babangida, Icheoku expected the northern elders to have called for second balloting between the two top vote-getters to see how the nine votes would have been split amongst them. But nay, they are very old and apparently senile to think proactively in the present and in that trajectory. So without a total mandate, Icheoku wonders if Atiku Abubakar could rightly still present himself as the north's consensus candidate and whether the north will even support him in the primaries in view of their elders implied rejection of him at the consensus level.

But like the popular saying goes, beware of what you wish for Adamu Ciroma; as the best your north presented may not afterall be good enough to face and beat President Jonathan. Babangida was the only candidate the south feared was going to upstage Jonathan hence the barrage of attacks on him to shock his being and force him out. But, as always that 'Goodluck' in President Jonathan came to the rescue as the north unknowingly solved Jonathan and south's main headache, Babangida. In his stead, they anointed Atiku as their consensus candidate but forgot that Olusegun Obasanjo is still around the corner and on Jonathan's side?