2027: Atiku’s ambition is fueling one-party system, APC chieftain warns
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has accused the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of inadvertently aiding the emergence of a one-party state through
- From Jide Orintunsin - Abuja
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has accused the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of inadvertently aiding the emergence of a one-party state through his refusal to "step aside" from the presidential race.
The former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, argued that Atiku’s recent declaration that he would not withdraw from future contests confirms fears that the former Vice President’s personal ambitions are destabilizing the opposition’s ability to provide a credible alternative to the APC.
Okechukwu noted that Atiku’s absence from the recent grand ceremony in Kano—where the African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomed Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya movement—is a glaring sign of a fractured opposition.
“Is there any better way to fuel a One Party State than His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s embarrassing absence from the Kano grand ceremony... at a time when my great party, the APC, is populating its fold?” Okechukwu queried.
The APC chieftain further dismissed Atiku’s frequent allegations that President Bola Tinubu is orchestrating a one-party system, labeling such claims as "serial propaganda" intended to mask the internal failures of the opposition.
Reflecting on the 2023 general elections, Okechukwu claimed that Atiku’s refusal to adhere to the "zoning convention"—which mandates the rotation of power between the North and South—was the catalyst for the current crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
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“Atiku’s declaration has laid bare the real problem of a foremost opposition held hostage by personal ambition, where no one is willing to neither yield ground for the collective good nor obey the zoning convention,” he asserted. “We are vindicated.”
With the 2027 elections approaching, Okechukwu urged Atiku to embrace the role of an elder statesman by facilitating a coalition between younger opposition figures rather than seeking the spotlight himself.
“Methinks that as an octogenarian and elder statesman, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar should help build the consensus of a Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket to make the 2027 presidential election robust and credible,” Okechukwu stated.
Okechukwu maintained that the APC’s dominance is not the primary threat to Nigerian democracy. Instead, he pointed the finger at the "reckless dysfunction" of opposition leaders who are unable to unite.
“The strength of the APC lies not merely in incumbency, but in the inability of opposition parties to put their acts together," he retorted. "The real danger to Nigeria’s democracy is not dominance by one party, but the reckless dysfunction of those who should provide balance.”
