A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Osita Okechukwu, on Friday, accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of demonstrating anti-democratic tendencies.
He said Atiku’s recent remarks about Nigeria’s political future clearly reveal a disregard for democratic principles.
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Okechukwu was reacting to Atiku’s interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service.
In the interview, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart stated that he would support and mentor a younger candidate if such a person emerged through a competitive primary election.
The APC chieftain argued that by elevating the so-called “competitive primary” above the zoning and rotation convention, Atiku had undermined one of the key principles that has preserved Nigeria’s fragile unity since 1999.
He recalled that zoning provided Atiku opportunities in the past, but he has now chosen to discard it for personal ambition.
According to Okechukwu, “Discarding zoning in favour of dollarised primary dressed up as democracy represents the height of anti-democratic conduct.”
He continued: “Among the cardinal tenets of democracy, the first is the unity of our dear fatherland, and the second is the conduct of free and fair elections.
“Atiku is now waving expensive, monetised, and exclusionary primaries as his banner of democracy, while downplaying the very convention that guarantees equity, inclusion, and stability in our plural society.”
Okechukwu further alleged that Atiku’s position validates concerns that he is more interested in power than in strengthening democratic values.
“His pronouncement confirms fears that he seeks power not to consolidate democratic institutions, but to weaken the very principles that built the Nigerian project,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, insisting that “no ambition, no matter how well packaged, should come at the expense of national unity and democratic justice.”
