EXCLUSIVE: ATIKU ABUBAKAR: THE MAN POLITICS COULD NOT BREAK

 

By: Senator Ehigie Uzamere

Since 1993, Atiku Abubakar has walked the long and winding road of Nigerian politics, not as a mere spectator, but as a central figure in its most defining moments. A man of vision, resilience, and strategic depth, he has stood at the threshold of power more than once, only to see the doors shut by betrayal; not fate.

In the historic build-up to the 1993 elections, Atiku, then a rising star under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), stepped aside in favour of Moshood Abiola, a move driven by loyalty to democratic ideals. It was an early glimpse of his willingness to sacrifice personal ambition for national interest. Yet, that sacrifice was met not with reward but with political sidelining.

In the early 2000s, as Vice President under Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku found himself again at the heart of betrayal. A trusted ally turned rival, Obasanjo's infamous third-term agenda drove a wedge between the presidency and the vice presidency. Atiku, standing firm against constitutional manipulation, was cast as an antagonist for defending democracy. The man who helped build the bridge to Aso Rock was now accused of trying to burn it down by those who once crossed it with him.

In 2007, again, the betrayal came cloaked in the form of exclusion. Despite being a founding father of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), he was forced to seek refuge under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) just to contest the presidential election. His loyalty was questioned, not because he failed, but because he dared to stand alone when the tides turned.

2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023 followed a familiar pattern: political alliances made in optimism, broken in calculation. Promises whispered in closed rooms, shattered in open betrayal. Party primaries marred by manipulation, coalitions that crumbled under pressure, and trusted allies who turned into silent adversaries at the hour of reckoning.

Yet, in all this, Atiku has remained undaunted. Like the biblical Joseph, he has been thrown into many pits. Not for lack of wisdom or ability, but because of envy, fear, and shifting loyalties. But like Joseph, he has not stayed down. Each betrayal has refined him, not ruined him. Each defeat has shaped him, not shattered him.

Atiku Abubakar’s story is not just one of ambition. It is one of endurance. His journey is proof that betrayal does not define a man. Rather, his response to it does. 

He continues to rise, speak, build, and believe in Nigeria, even when the system seems determined to forget his sacrifices.

In a political climate where many break under pressure or sell their soul for relevance, Atiku remains a paradox: wounded by politics but never broken by it.

Hicia News