“There is a great
deal of difference between the eager man who wants to read a book, and the
tired man who wants to read.”
—G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English
writer
Abubakar Atiku and Peter Obi, the flag bearers of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria’s 2019 presidential poll, come from two
different backgrounds. Atiku is a swashbuckling jolly good fellow. Peter Obi
isn’t. Atiku is a rumbustious politician. Obi isn’t. Atiku is a gregarious personality
on account of his wealth. Obi isn’t. Atiku is given to raucous peals of
laughter that reflect his carriage. Obi isn’t. Atiku is a political figure who
has operated at the national level. Obi isn’t. Finally, septuagenarian Atiku’s
temperament is predictable. 57-year-old Obi’s isn’t.
 |
| *Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar |
Two opposites brought together by the PDP to make Nigeria work again,
following a perception that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has
underperformed and sunk the country into an abyss of misery, misrule and misfortune.
Both Atiku and Obi post ‘formidable’ records in their days in office; the
former as a vice-president for eight years after grabbing a governorship seat
in Adamawa which he didn’t consummate, and the latter as a governor in Anambra
for eight years.
