Politics
APC fires Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai over allegations of interfering in opposition parties
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly criticized former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi; and the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the ruling party of instigating discord within opposition parties across the country.
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The APC’s response follows remarks made by the trio at the recently concluded national conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, held in Abuja.
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In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, on Tuesday, the APC dismissed the accusations as baseless and described them as a sign of desperation by opposition figures.
According to the APC, Atiku’s continued allegations reflect his inability to accept defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
“At the national conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria held in Abuja on Monday, January 27, 2025, Atiku warned that the nation’s democracy was somewhat imperiled by judicial involvement in electoral matters. Also, without a shred of evidence, Atiku alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was paying certain opposition leaders a whopping 50 million Naira each to destabilize opposition parties in the country.
“It was during Atiku’s era as Vice President, particularly in 2003 and 2007, that the PDP conducted some of the worst elections in our political history. Nigerians cannot forget how Atiku’s PDP heavy-handedly captured most South-West states and vowed to remain in power for 60 years. It was also during those years that Atiku’s former boss and then-President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, infamously described elections as a ‘do-or-die affair’ in a desperate attempt to annex Lagos. If democracy was neither derailed nor endangered in those perilous days, is it now—when elections are by far freer, fairer, and more credible—that Nigeria risks losing democracy?
“The judicial branch of government is a constitutional creation, like the executive and legislative branches, with constitutionally defined powers to adjudicate disputes among citizens and between citizens and the state. Atiku cannot wish away or seek to abolish the enshrined power of the courts to intervene in civil disputes, including electoral disputes, in cases where the authority of the court is validly invoked by a litigant.
“It is ironic that Atiku, who is Nigeria’s most prolific electoral litigator, would make such a ludicrous claim that judicial involvement in electoral matters is a threat to democracy. His criticism of the courts and the electoral process rings hollow given his long history of using the courts to further his political agenda. It’s time for him to take a step back and let the democratic process unfold without his interference.
“Nigeria’s democracy is far stronger than Atiku’s political ambitions. We deserve better than petty politicking and alarmist rhetoric from an elder statesman. As a veteran politician, one would expect Atiku to understand that while democracy may be about winning elections, it is, more importantly, about respecting the will of the electorate and working towards the greater good of all. Atiku should focus on rebuilding his party and offering constructive solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.”
The APC also dismissed Atiku’s allegations that the ruling party was paying out 50 million Naira to certain opposition leaders, describing the claim as “bogus and laughable.”
“Atiku knows that his political desperation is responsible for the PDP’s catastrophic disintegration. Peddling rumors and unsubstantiated allegations should be beneath anyone of his standing—a former Vice President and a serial contestant for the exalted office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The bizarre suggestion by opposition figures like Atiku, Peter Obi, and recently aggrieved leaders like Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that our great party may be complicit in the internal corrosion of opposition parties is pitiful. It is merely an incompetent alibi for their crass failure to manage their own affairs. They cannot govern their parties but tout their ability to govern Africa’s most populous country.
“As discerning citizens, Nigerians know better than to be distracted by the false alarms and hollow allegations of desperate politicians whose only goal is to shore up their political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections,” the statement read.
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