Atiku for president in Nigeria in 2019? Those for and against.

 Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar intends to vie for president in Nigeria come 2019 and this is sure by the way he has been carrying on in public in recent times. Whoever is advising Atiku seems to have got it right. The former number two has been attending functions in the eastern part of Nigeria, allegedly courting the easterners to support him as well.
On Wednesday, 16 November he was at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, as chairman of the annual Zik Lecture Series, where he delivered an address titled “Crisis, Education and Africa’s Recovery”. It  focused on the roles of government and private sector in providing world class education in Nigeria.
 He said “I could not have gone to school if my parents were required to pay for it. That and the importance of education to nation building is the reason why I strongly believe that primary and secondary education should be free and compulsory in our country and indeed across Africa. That way every child gets to acquire basic education to help them improve their lives and help us produce an enlightened citizenry. That is how it is in the countries that we look up to as models of development.” Atiku has been speaking on a variety of issues across Nigeria. Education is just one. He has be speaking about restructuring the country along economic and resource basis and has been a champion of security, especially in North East Nigeria where he hails from. At the public presentation of a book titled "We are all Biafrans" early in the year he said in his speech:

"When I was invited to Chair this occasion, I immediately understood that the title of the book is a metaphor for the legitimate feelings of marginalization by diverse segments of Nigerians that cut across the country. Agitations by many right thinking Nigerians call for a restructuring and renewal of our federation to make it less centralized, less suffocating and less dictatorial in the affairs of our country’s constituent units and localities.

As some of you may know, I have for a long time advocated the need to restructure our federation. Our current structure and the practices it has encouraged have been a major impediment to the economic and political development of our country. In short it has not served Nigeria well, and at the risk of reproach it has not served my part of the country, the North, well. A lot of people are against Atiku's candidacy. The Afenifere has announced its intention to create a new mega party with people from the old the Peoples Democratic Party and aggrieved people of the ruling All Progressives Congress But a lot people are willing to throw spanner in the works if Atiku is made the candidate of the party. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has said he will support a new mega party as long as Atiku is not the presidential candidate! A lot of people in the political space have murmured about Atiku's candidacy but the issues is if people don't want him who will they vote for in 2019? There is no other candidate on the horizon now and Atiku has loads of cash, connections and some good will across ethnic lines. Wont he capitalize on this? Atiku's connections reach far and wide within Nigeria old loyalties to the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) which dates back to the Babangida years could give him some prominence in the race. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a former governor of Lagos state and an influential member of the APC has said he will not abandon the party he helped to build but with old loyalties and Atiku at stake who knows whether he will change his mind?