Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of Nigeria has reacted to the recent wave of defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Recall that the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, on Wednesday, defected from PDP, to the ruling party
Also, the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in the last election, Ifeanyi Okowa announced his defection to the APC the same day.
Reacting to the development, Atiku noted that the “freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy,” stating that “they are fundamental rights.
“Alongside these stand the pillars of a just and functional democratic society: the people, the rule of law, credible elections, and accountability. Undermine any of these, and democracy itself begins to crumble.
“As someone who holds fast to these values, I bear no grudges against anyone for exercising their right to political alignment. Defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again”.
Speaking on the backlashes he received following his visit to the former President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku noted that Buhari is a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape.
“Let’s not rewrite history: Buhari is not only a former leader but a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape.
“During the 2013 opposition merger, the leaders of the time consulted widely — including visits to Obasanjo and Babangida. So why is it now sacrilegious for me and other leaders to visit Buhari in Kaduna? If you truly believe in freedom of association, then you must respect the rights of all political actors to engage, regardless of party lines”, he said.
According to him, the coming election is “not APC versus PDP, or LP versus APC. It is Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering. The economy is in a freefall.
“Inflation is choking the masses. Jobs are vanishing. Youth restiveness is surging to terrifying levels. Nigerians are not just tired — they are angry, and rightfully so.
“This moment is about collective survival. The real enemy is not one another — it is the Tinubu administration’s abysmal failure. We must reject every attempt to distract us with ethnic, regional, or religious sentiments.
“These are tools of manipulation, designed to divide and conquer, used by those with nothing else to offer”.
