By Editor
Politics, were are told by E. B. White, is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right, more than half the time.
This is why an inexperienced politician, will sometimes hold on to his or her tenacious views without shifting grounds.
And sadly, too, in politics, you either eat the baby or you are the baby. You also cannot make a good omelette with bad eggs, just as there is nothing between the admirable omelette and the intolerable.
Unfortunately, Atiku Abubakar is caught between the ‘devil and the deep blue sea’. More unfortunately, to make his omelette, Atiku must first break some eggs (good or bad).
The People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate is very lucky to have a member of his party, that has taken it upon himself to play ‘John the Baptist’ at a critical moment in his political life.
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, the Baptist John, is not speaking for himself, but for some belligerents within the PDP.
From the Governor’s outburst, he has accused Atiku of denying Wike the “popular views of the PDP members.” His accusation is a very weighty one, which shows the underbelly discussion within pro-Wike’s group.
Hear him: “I am waiting for him (Atiku) because there are more things he is expected to do.
“I expected him to reach out to Wike who came second and he denied him the popular view of PDP members. 14 out of 17 members say that Wike should be the VP but in his wisdom, he chose Governor Okowa.
“Governor Okowa is a nice man and my friend and I have no problem with him. But if we are in a democratic era, and 14 people out of 17 said that it should be Wike, and he (Atiku) in his wisdom gave it to Okowa, I expect more explanation.
“I expect him to talk to Wike first, I expect him to even reach out to some of us so that, together we can work as a party.”
‘I expect him to also reach out to some of us’ is a conscious statement, designed to express the views of a block.
Ortom didn’t stop there, he opened his party’s secret box to give insider’s information that hitherto remained mere speculation.
“Some of us believe that Wike has the capacity, but Nigerians or let me say the PDP people, did not give him the opportunity. Some of us rooted for him.
“I was amongst the 17-member committee that was set up by the candidate himself and the party and some of us said that for the vice presidency of the party, we needed Wike to be the vice president so that he can bridge the gap.
“We (the committee) said it does not matter whether he supported the presidential candidate or not, all we are looking for is unity and how we can make things work.
“Unfortunately, it was said that it is Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who is also a PDP member. And that is the wisdom of the presidential candidate.
“Some of us have resorted back to prayers, because I am really confused. I felt that Wike would have been the vice-presidential candidate of the party after losing the presidential ticket to Atiku.
“He was the second person to Atiku and Wike has charisman.” Ortom said philosophically.
Atiku should be worried about Ortom and his group’s reliance on prayer before they can take a decision to throw their support behind him.
“But for some of us, now, I have resorted to prayers and if you haven’t seen me in Turkey (Wike’s vacation spot), it is because I am praying,” he said.
But will Ortom and Wike ‘goons’ support Atiku’s presidential bid? This answer can be found in Ortom’s resort to prayers.
“I tell you as a Christian, that I believe that power belongs to God. John 3:27 says ‘A man can receive nothing except it is given to him from above.’ If God says it is Atiku and if God says it is whoever, that is all.
“I am praying. I have gone into hibernation and I am fasting and praying. So, in the end, if God directs me to support Atiku, why should I not do it? After all, he is my party man.
“But the bottom line for me is that I have gone into hibernation and I am praying and at the end, whatever God directs me to, I can assure you that I will do it.”