Atiku, Tinubu Eulogise Late Ekwueme
A former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have described late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme as a great patriot who devoted this wealth of knowledge and learning to the betterment of Nigeria.
In separate tributes to Ekwueme, the two Nigerian leaders noted that the late former Vice President was a man of destiny who exemplified the best of Nigeria.
Atiku recalled that between 1998 and 1999, Ekwueme laboured hard mobilising other patriotic Nigerians to found the largest political party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which went on to win the 1999 presidential election.
According to Atiku, though Ekwueme contested for the presidential ticket of the PDP for the 1999 presidential election and lost, he was never for once a bitter man.
Atiku added that it was at that 1994 Constitutional Conference, where he (Atiku) was among the delegates representing Adamawa State, that “the astute and cerebral Ekwueme” proposed the idea of restructuring the country along geo-political lines.
“The six geo-political zones, which he proposed and was later adopted by all delegates, is currently in use by all Nigerians as a convenient way to easily capture and categorize the 36 States and the FCT, into which Nigeria is divided,” Atiku said.
“Though Dr. Ekwueme contested for the presidential ticket of the PDP for the 1999 presidential election and lost, he was never for once a bitter man. It can be said without contradiction, that there are few Nigerian politicians of the mould of late Dr. Ekwueme who play politics without bitterness in a clime such as ours where reckless political deals and betrayals tend to be common. Whenever there were problems in the then ruling party, the PDP until 2015, and there were many instances, it was always to the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme that the PDP and most political leaders in the country reverted to seek solution,” Atiku explained.
On his part, Tinubu stated that Ekwueme was an outstanding patriot whose sense of humanity was palpable.
Tinubu declared that there was no mean bone in Ekwueme’s body and no malice in his speech.
“There was no evil in his deeds. He acted in the best of our traditions but also with a unifying and positive vision for the future.
Despite his exemplary skills, Alex Ekwueme moved about with great humility of spirit and singular modesty. He never sang his own praise. But his record of act spoke louder than words,” Tinubu said.
The former Lagos governor stated that those who celebrate the end of military rule in Nigeria must never forget that it was Ekwueme who mobilised the group of 34 eminent Nigerians that would put at risk their very lives and livelihoods to confront the oppressive Abacha dictatorship.
“The G.34 would later form the basis of the Peoples Democratic Party and Dr. Ekwueme was the founding Chairman of that party. I do not intend to delve into partisanship on this occasion but suffice it to say that had Dr. Ekwueme been allowed to play his proper and rightful role in the party he helped create, Nigeria would be a better place,” Tinubu said.
“I have always admired Dr. Ekwueme even though our political paths diverged. I became close to him when I was Lagos State governor. In 2002, I helped put together a 70th birthday celebration for him,” Tinubu added.
As a vice president, Tinubu disclosed that Ekwueme showed himself to be an invaluable asset in governance of the country.
According to him, Ekwueme was loyal to his boss and most importantly was ever faithful to Nigeria.
“He was genuinely concerned about bringing about a better Nigeria. His time and energy were geared towards nationalistic issues. He was always at the forefront of efforts to resolve problems. His deep intellectual interventions often helped the country navigate through critical periods and troubled times,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu argued that Ekwueme served Nigeria so much better than the country served him yet he never grumbled or complained.
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