The position of the vice president in Nigeria is perceived to be a dormant one as the bulk of the national assignment is vested on the shoulder of the president.
The president usually takes the praise and the blame in a government. Vice president in this sense is not just limited to the democratic government but also expands to the military government as some officials served as the de facto vice presidents during the military rule in Nigeria.
The media spotlights on vice presidents is limited as focus is on the president but in spite of this, some vice president have been able to command and make use of their position as the number two citizens to make impacts.
Here are the top five vice presidents in Nigeria’s history.
Atiku Abubakar
Born in 1946, Atiku served as the second democratic vice president of Nigeria under the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007. Atiku has never made his plan to become the president of Nigeria secret as he has been on it since 1992 when he participated in the presidential primary election of the Social Democratic Party which was eventually won by Moshood Abiola. As vice president, Atiku grew very strong up to a point where it was reported that he was threatening the re-election of Obasanjo as president for a second term in 2003. According to report, Obasanjo wanted to drop Atiku as his running mate in 2003 (perhaps due to the latter’s growing strength) but was forced to reconsider the decision after it was evident that the Atiku was going to launch his presidential bid and contest in the Peoples Democratic Party primary elections which could lead to Obasanjo losing the support of the northern caucus.
Perhaps as a testimony of his growth and strength, Atiku contested as president under the platform of Action Congress in 2007 but lost the election to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The Adamawa-born politician returned to the PDP in 2011 but lost the party’s presidential ticket to eventual winner, Goodluck Jonathan. He left the party for the All Progressives Congress but also lost the party’s primary election to eventual winner, Muhammadu Buhari. There is no doubt that the septuagenarian is still pursuing his dream of becoming Nigeria’s president someday.
Tunde Idiagbon
Major General Tunde Idiagbon was the chief of staff and de facto vice president to the then General Muhammadu Buhari from 1983 to 1985. Born in 1943, Idiagbon’s name was mentioned side by side with Buhari during and after their military government. He became so popular that some of the policies adopted by the Buhari military government were credited to him perhaps due to the fact that he usually announced and introduced the policies. He was in charge of administration’s strict War Against indiscipline which was meant to fight corruption and indiscipline and encourage a saner way of doing things. His position as vice president did not take him away from the spotlight as it is not uncommon to hear people say: “during the time of Idiagbon,” when making reference to the military government of Buhari. He died in 1999.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Olusegun Obasanjo is popular for taking over the democratic reigns of the country in 1999 after years of military rule but he was equally powerful when he served as the vice president during the military administration of Murtala Muhammed from 1975 to 1976 until the latter was executed during a coup. The coup was however abortive as the perpetrator, Col Buka Suka Dimka, was later apprehended.
It was reported that Obasanjo was marked for execution during the planning of the coup but he was able to escape death. Obasanjo and Gen Theophilus Danjuma were able to quickly establish security in the then capital, Lagos thereby making the coup unsuccessful. Dimka was executed through a firing squad as punishment for his crime. Obasanjo became the first head of state to relinquish power to a civilian government in Nigeria when he handed over to Mallam Shehu Shagari in 1979. Obasanjo would later be democratically elected as Nigeria’s president in 1999 and occupy the position till 2007.
Goodluck Jonathan
Born in 1957, Goodluck Jonathan served as vice president during the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from 2007 to 2010 and became president after the latter’s demise. He contested and won the presidential election in 2011but lost in his bid to secure a second term to Muhammadu Buhari.
His historic phone call to Buhari to congratulate him on winning the election doused the tension that was building in the country. As a vice president, Jonathan maintained a low key profile even when Yar’Adua was out of the country for medical reasons. His impact was however felt as he systematically negotiated the amnesty programme with Niger Delta militants. This stopped vandalism of pipelines and facilitated the release of abducted foreign oil workers.
Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
The elder brother of the late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua served as the number three official during the military administration of Murtala Muhammed and slotted into the position of chief of staff during the military administration of Obasanjo after the 1976 abortive coup.
As de facto vice president, Yar’Adua was in charge of the Operation Feed the Nation, an agricultural initiative of the administration. He also was in charge of the local government reform in 1976. In 1992, Yar’Adua had grown in his political strength and influential enough to mount a presidential bid.
He however lost the SDP primary election to Abiola. In 1995, Yar’Adua, Obasanjo and Lawan Gwadabe were arrested and accused of plotting a coup against General Sani Abacha. He died in detention in December 1997 at the age of 54.
It has been suggested that his position as Obasanjo’s right hand man led to Obasanjo selecting and supporting the younger Yar’Adua to become president as a compensation for the older Yar’Adua’s presidential bid.
Naij
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