Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described the administration of President Bola Tinubu as the worst in Nigeria’s history, arguing that not even the military regimes prior to 1999 inflicted the level of damage to national life and consciousness seen today.
Speaking at the launch of The Loyalist, a book authored by the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Atiku lamented that the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was intended to rescue the country, had been undermined by successive presidents elected under the party since 2015.
“Just as we once took responsibility to come together and form a political alternative, we must again unite to ensure the emergence of a new political organisation capable of salvaging this country for the benefit of its people,” he said.
Atiku highlighted the formation of the ADC as a renewed opportunity to rescue Nigeria from APC’s misrule, describing the party as “a convergence of various political leanings across the country, united in an effort to reunite Nigeria and renew our democratic journey.”
“If there is anything positive in our recent political developments, it is this coming together to rescue the country from what I consider the worst administration I have witnessed in nearly four decades of political life,” he added.
The former vice president also emphasized Nigeria’s diversity as a strength, urging dialogue across generations, identities, regions, and political persuasions.
ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, argued that the defection of some governors to the APC does not indicate that the opposition is weakened or that governors determine election outcomes.
Using data from the 2023 presidential election, Aregbesola pointed to the South West and South East zones to illustrate his point.
“In the South West, the APC controlled all states except two, yet the party’s maximum performance was 55%, with other parties sharing the rest. Even in Lagos, the APC candidate lost in several wards, local government areas, and the state. Where, then, is the claim that governors win elections against the people’s will?” he asked.
He further noted that in the South East, the APC secured only 5.8% of total votes, reinforcing his argument that election outcomes are determined by the people, not governors.
“What we require from the government in charge of the election is a commitment to a free and fair process… let us see what the result will be. That’s what we are asking,” the former Osun State governor said.
The book launch attracted top politicians from the ADC, including the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi, former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, among others.
