Suspended Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has risen in defense of former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over claims made by erstwhile chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, urging the latter to stop making disparaging comments at old age and quietly retire from politics.
Anenih had revealed in his book titled, ‘My Life and Nigerian Politics’ that Atiku wanted to become the President in 2003 when former President, Olusegun Obasanjo was contesting for a second term, stressing that he stopped former vice president from succeeding the then president .
But Frank maintained that Anenih did not tell the true story of what transpired on his 2003 account, explaining that over 22 PDP governors were strongly behind Atiku to contest the Presidency but he stepped down for his boss because of his loyalty. He added that the Mr. Fix it, the retiring politician is called was because he helped to place Nigeria and Nigerians in the present fix the country is in.
Speaking in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Frank challenged Anenih to tell Nigerians “one good thing he will be remembered for or be retired from political stage quietly,” adding that he should be “apologizing to Nigerians for the damage he and others have done to Nigeria and “even to his own political party, PDP, as it is obvious today.
The statement said it was out of place for the ex-minister of Works and Housing to describe Atiku as an ambitious politician, “when he himself was more desperate than Atiku who had opportunity to become President in the past but remained loyal to his boss”.
According to Frank, “it is high time Chief Anenih should also tell the world the kind of legacy he is leaving behind in all his years in politics.
“Baba Anenih’s desperation to remain in the corridor of power made him to force former Goodluck Jonathan to run again in 2015 when he knew he (Jonathan) couldn’t win.
“Chief Tony Anenih has lost the moral right to talk about former Vice President Atiku Abubarkar or any other Nigerian for that matter seeing that he is one of the reasons Nigeria and especially the Niger Delta region is where we are today.
“What has Anenih done for the Niger Delta where he comes from? Instead of using his position to help the Niger delta and Nigeria at large to find lasting solutions to its numerous challenges, he choosed to support third term agenda.
“Under his watch as Minister of Works, 300 Billion Naira disappeared into thin air. As NPA chairman, what positive contribution did he make for the benefit of Nigeria? Even in the South-South where Anenih comes from, “Atiku a Northener has touched people’s lives positively in terms of job employment more than Anenih will ever do in his life time.
“Anenih is not called Mr fixer for no reason, he helped put Nigeria and Nigerians in the fix we find ourselves today,” Frank said.
Frank, who called on Nigerians to disregard what he termed Anenih’s disparaging remarks on Atiku, said, “the Benin Chief should quietly retire from political stage having lost political relevance instead of talking down on people like Atiku who have contributed more to the development of Nigeria even as acknowledged by President Muhammad Buhari recently.”
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