We're Proud of Our Symbol

By Segun Showunmi

The decision to go to court on this issue of a stolen mandate in the February 2019 presidential election was a necessary sacrifice that a leader of the mould of Atiku Abubakar had to make, not only to claim his mandate, but also to free Nigeria and Nigerians from the perilous consequences of allowing our country to sink under an avoidable situation of bastardised democracy.

This decision was not made out of naivety; Atiku was not oblivious of all the tendencies that could play out, especially in the Nigeria that has emerged under Buhari and his ilk, neither was he unmindful of the burden of going it almost alone as with the case in situations like this where true to type people are quick to show up when all looks rosy and immediate personal benefit is in sight, but stay on the fence or use the door when it matters most!

Atiku Abubakar went on this journey because, all considered, it was the right thing to do in the interest of our nation Nigeria, in the interest of democracy, in the interest of all things decent and noble.

As we await judgment tomorrow, I can only say to our people: let us all be proud of our symbol - Waziri Atiku Abubakar, GCON. Let us be proud of ourselves from the smallest to the highest; let us be proud of our contributions to the process. Human activities are not without their own failings, but we must never allow our heads to be bowed. We must be resolute and know that our desire to get Nigeria working again is in order.

In such a short time, look at what we have become as Nigerians. We are now a shadow of who we are and who we are meant to be. The gloom in the land is palpable; we no longer have the respect of fellow Africans. Our internal contraptions are staring us in the face. But despite all, we must keep the hope.

Let those of us on the side of democracy; citizen participation in governance; free, fair and credible elections, equitable distribution of resources, shift in developmental paradigm to leapfrog Nigeria into a future that, under an Atiku vision we know is possible, work together as one people, with mutual respect and understanding of our differences. We must not be tired to work harder for the Nigeria of our dreams. This is what the whole electoral challenge is about.

Certainly, we are proud of ourselves and our brand champion, Waziri Atiku Abubakar (GCON). Let judgment be done even if the heaven falls.