Atiku: Father of 30 children, accidental VP and dogged politician with eyes on Aso Rock

He was vice-president of Nigeria for eight years, but that was the last thing on his mind: he only wanted to be governor of Adamawa state at the time.

But he could have been vice-presidential candidate much earlier if he had not been “betrayed” after a political horse-trading.

And being the president of Nigeria will not be a big deal to him ─ he has fathered 30 children and knows what that means in management terms.

In his book, “My Life”, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar revealed a lot about his life, much of which many Nigerians may be hearing for the first time.

According to him, he did not have interest in becoming the vice president of Nigeria until Olusegun Obasanjo picked him from the rabble to be his running mate in the 1999 presidential election.

The three-time presidential aspirant wrote that he graciously wanted to serve his people as governor, describing it as his “long-time dream”.

Giving a rendition of how he went from governor to vice-president, he wrote: “After Obasanjo agreed to contest the PDP presidential primary, I went back to Adamawa to realize my long-time dream of governing my state. I was unanimously picked as the PDP governorship candidate for Adamawa state. Boni Haruna was my running mate.

“I won the January 9, 1999 governorship election, defeating my perennial rival, Bala Takaya of the All Nigeria People’s Party. The PDP held its national convention in Jos in January 1999 and Obasanjo defeated former vice president Alex Ekwueme to become the party’s candidate. He chose me as his vice presidential candidate. I was quite surprised as I had not shown any interest in the position. I wanted to govern my state, but that was not God’s will.”

However, the Turaki of Adamawa also said he was to be MKO Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, but was disappointed by him.

Abiola’s choosing of Babagana Kingibe as a running mate broke their agreement, he said.

Describing how Abiola disappointed him under a sub title, “To be president”, Atiku wrote: “Yar’ Adua and 12 other so-called banned politicians were arrested and detained on December 2, 1991 for participating in politics despite having been banned. He was released on December 20, 1991 after 17 days in detention. He was free to participate in politics again, the government said.

“We his associates persuaded him to join the race for presidency. He declared his interest on February 25, 1992 at City Hall, Lagos. He promised to create a united, stable and progressive Nigeria with a common purpose and vision. He was one of the 50 presidential aspirants of the two parties that participated in the six-zone presidential primaries from May 2 to June 20, 1992. I was Yar’ Adua’s campaign coordinator.

“I really wanted to see him become the president of this country. I had no doubt in my mind that he would have made a good president. He had vision and he knew how to bring good people together to achieve his goals.

“A the three-stage party primary was introduced, beginning in September 1992. By the end of the first round, Yar’ Adua had emerged the front-runner, beating prominent politicians in their strongholds. The Babangida administration cashed in on the unfounded allegations of rigging, thuggery and bribery and cancelled the primary results on November 17, 1999.

“All 23 presidential aspirants were also banned. The executives of the two parties were dissolved. A fresh presidential primary was announced. The handover date from military to civilian rule was extended to August 17, 1993.

“With Yar’ Adua banned, the group needed someone that its members could rally round. I was chosen unanimously to contest the presidential primary of our party. My influence, hard work and selfless contributions to the Yar’ Adua group as well as my loyalty to Yar’ Adua and my youthfulness (I was 46 years old) counted in my favour.

“The task before me was daunting. My closeness to Tafida (as I used to call him) also meant that I would inherit both his goodwill and his ill-will. I knew that those who did not want Yar’ Adua to become president could also stop me. But I was not deterred. I decided to run on the same ideas and vision that Yar’ Adua had espoused during his candidacy- a strong, united, democratic and prosperous Nigeria.

“Babagana Kingibe, a former member of the Yar’ Adua group who became SDP chairman because of the groups support, was also vying for the party’s presidential ticket. So was newcomer Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a wealthy businessman and newspaper publisher.

“I contested and won the SDP presidential primary in Adamawa state in March 1993. Moshood Abiola, 55 years old and Babagana Kingibe, 48, had also won in their respective states. Altogether, 27 of us from various states converged in Jos in March 1993 to contest the SDP presidential ticket at the national convention of the party.

“I campaigned on the need for a strong economy with agriculture as a top priority. I promised Nigerians that their collective interest would count first when far-reaching economic decisions were being taken. I said I would run a true federalism if elected president.

“To stop Kingibe, whom we all believed had betrayed our group, the Yar’ Adua group resolved to negotiate with Abiola. We would support Abiola’s candidacy for presidency in return for making me his running mate.

“We met Abiola and his key advisers and agreed to go to the Jos convention to push for an Abiola-Atiku ticket. Thereafter, we would harmonise our campaign structures and finances. At the end of the first ballot, Abiola came first, Kingibe came a close second. I came third.

“We met again with Abiola. We agreed that I should step down for Abiola in the final round of voting. I agreed to subordinate my personal ambition for the sake of democracy. I was ready for any personal sacrifice that could end military rule in Nigeria.

“In the two-way race between Abiola and Kingibe, Abiola triumphed over Kingibe. However, Abiola refused to honour the agreement to make me his running mate. He picked Babagana Kingibe.

“Yar’ Adua was angry over Abiola’s betrayal.”

Atiku declared his intention to run for president in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday.