Author: Aliyu Samba

ATIKU Abubakar’s political journey will go down in history as that of a man who mastered the art of winning party primaries, yet never succeeded in clinching the ultimate prize “the presidency”. His repeated victories in the PDP presidential primaries are easily explained: it’s a controlled environment, limited in scope, where influence, patronage, and the strategic use of money can shape outcomes. But the general election is a different battlefield that lies beyond his reach, for the ordinary Nigerian, whose vote he cannot buy, sees no future under his leadership. His political philosophy has always leaned toward elite capitalism, offering…