A chieftain of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, Umar Bello Jada a.k.a Calculate has disclosed that the presidency of former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar will be a bad omen for Nigeria as Buhari’s incompetence will pale into insignificance compared with what will befall Nigeria if Atiku becomes its president.
Calculate who was a former ally of the ex-vice president, said, he knows Atiku’s antecedents well enough to understand the kind of anarchy he will hoist on the country if elected, calling on Nigerians to desist from voting Atiku to avert an impending political calamity and doom on the land.
In a chat with our reporter, Calculate who hails from Jada local government, the home of the vice president vows to oppose Atiku’s presidential ambition with his life as he noted that it will throw Nigeria to the precipice and the recess of oblivion.
He noted that if the major reason for voting for a candidate and a government is to benefit from its patronage and protection, then Nigerians should perish the thought of electing Atiku because he will never fulfill those cardinal democratic demands.
“The reasons for being in politics and lending a supporting hand to a particular candidate is for one to benefit from patronage and protection of his dignity, values, and inalienable rights, but it is my fervent belief that I will never get any of the two things if I support Atiku. So I have no reason to support him.
“I call on Nigerians to think twice before voting for Atiku as voting will not help them in any way,” Calculate said.
Below is the excerpt of the interview with the politician:
When did your path cross with the former vice president and in what capacity did you meet him?
My relationship with Atiku Abubakar, and Waziri Adamawa started between 1989 to 2021. I first met Atiku in Lagos as a successful businessman and a contractor with NEPA, NPA, and NNPC. Apart from the contract I do for the above firms, I also had a lot of engagements with multinational corporations and was also trading on fabrics like laces. I was also a major dealer in Aswani Market, Lagos on wrappers, Hollandaise, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigerian wax, Shadda brocade, and many more. I used to supply these materials to different parts of Nigeria and even outside Nigeria. I even established a base in the Cameroon Republic. One Alhaji Gambo, who is the chairman of Gwari in Jimeta was my agent and major transporter of my wares to Cameroon.
When the former head of state General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) moved the Federal Capital Territory from Lagos to Abuja, I was one of those contractors who relocated so early to Abuja to continue business with FCDA where I also started buying and selling lands and also supply fabrics of any kind to traders of Garki, and Area 1, Shopping Center. One Mallam Yari at that time was my major collector of fabrics at Garki Area 1 shopping mall being the only major market in the city of Abuja at that time.
At that time I ran my business as an individual without the support of anyone and Atiku met me as an accomplished and established businessman. Then, Koiranga Jada and the former vice president related as political associates. I never had any financial transaction with both of them before that time.
I could recall at that time, Koiranga Jada was the person trying to establish Shehu Yar’adua’s political structures in the then former Gongola state and most of all those heavyweight politicians around Atiku were recruited by him (Koiranga Jada) long before Atiku retired from customs service to join us in the political turf.
When Atiku retired, we have gone far in our political sojourn, because at that time we have participated in and even won elections. We mobilized nationally for the Peoples Front Party (PFP) which came first in Nigeria under our leader Shehu Musa Yar’adua.
So before Atiku joined us in the political terrain, we already had a solid and formidable political structure in Gongola State have won elections at the local government level on zero party platform. Our successes in the political terrain were what gave Atiku the grit to retire and joined us in Social Democratic Party (SDP) under Koiranga’s leadership.
Our popularity and huge support base then gave us an advantage over more prominent and established politicians during the formation of the People Front political organization (PF) which came ahead of other associations both nationally and in Gongola State but we were refused registration as a political party by the then military regime.
That foundation became the stepping stone which both Atiku and Shehu Yar’adua climbed to demand political power from the military and their apologists.
We were forced to join SDP by the military and we moved en-masse into SDP and continued with the struggle until Shehu was disqualified.
Atiku then took over and continue the battle with Gen. Shehu’s full backing to contest the presidency but in the end, things didn’t work out as planned as Atiku lost to Abiola and Kingibe. We aligned with Abiola and won the second ballot and went on to win the Presidential election but the joy was truncated because of the June 12 debacle.
We formed PDM under Shehu’s guidance but Abacha took over and there was a constitutional conference. We supported and elected Atiku to represent Jada, while there Abacha superintends a coup and arrested Shehu and many others, Atiku went into exile and we stayed back in Nigeria and continued with the battle. But after the return of calm, five political parties were registered. We first joined Center Party (CPN) under Atiku’s instructions while in exile, this time without Koiranga Jada who joined UNCP, the Center Party turned out to be a colossal disaster for us politically as we lost local government elections woefully both in Adamawa and at the national level. We then jumped ship and joined Koiranga Jada’s party UNCP to promote Atiku’s Governorship ambition as the winning party in Adamawa.
We tried uprooting Koiranga political structures in the party to give way for Atiku but was met with very stiff resistance from Both Koiranga and Abdu’a groups, it was the most fierce and bitter political war we fought with Koiranga’s political camp who at that time was on the verge of winning the ticket against us, luckily for us, Abacha died and everything went back to square one.
During Abdulsalam regime, we started afresh by reactivating PDM structures nationally and merged with a powerful pressure group (G4). You know the G4 family was close to Abdulsalam military government. It later transformed into the PDP of today in 1998/99.
We started mobilizing and perfecting strategies for “Atiku Governorship aspiration” in earnest while Atiku was still in exile. In the end, we were rewarded with the PDP Governorship ticket on consensus by the likes of Bamanga Tukur, Mahmud Tukur, Jibril Aminu, and Umaru Jibrilla, Alh. Jibrilla Mubi, Joel Madaki, Jonathan Zwingina, Yakubu Tsala, Wilberforce Juta, Julie Gurumpawo, and the current Lamido of Adamawa, Paul Wampana, Alh. Borno, Suleiman Ribadu, Ahmadu Attahiru, Admiral Nyako who was the highest financial contributor, and Musa Garba too.
Fundraising for the campaign was done by the above people at MC Tahir’s residence, in Mafia’s Quarters Yola-Town with late Lamido Aliyu as Atiku’s Guarantor to those politicians. It was agreed that the business and political interests of all those who lent Atiku support shall be protected. But as they say, everything is now history.
Atiku got a PDP ticket with our core support alongside those I mentioned above. Atiku won against the most formidable candidate, Bala Takaya. Luckily for him, Obasanjo nominated him as his running mate and we continued the battle to ensure PDP Obasanjo/Atiku ticket wins the Presidency as Atiku’s resignation as Governor-elect was too risky and complicated for our political group in Adamawa. With our efforts, they won the election and Atiku became Vice President for 8 years and the defacto President in the first 4 years.
During those four harrowing years, I got nothing, I mean nothing; zero patronage on all aspects, zero appointments, zero contract, even though I mostly have access to him both in Abuja and Yola but still there was nothing. I could not fathom why he neglected me. Because of the crass neglect, I have to leave him and his group to join my father Inlaw, Admiral Nyako’s Political group in 2007 as against supporting Atiku’s Action Party (AC).
We went into the election and won against Atiku and his leftover political associates for both the Governorship, three Senators, sic Reps, and 13 House of assembly members in a landslide victory.
When Nyako formed the government, he appointed me, Senior Special Adviser twice, and nominated me as commissioner twice. Can anyone compare Nyako whom I only supported for three months yet rewarded me that much as against Atiku whom I supported all my life with my entire family yet had zero patronage towards me? A fair and just relationship appreciates value, support, contributions, and hard work and meets appropriate rewards.
