APC Chieftain Calls on Atiku to Step Down
Osita Okechukwu, a senior figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC), has appealed to former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar to reconsider his continued participation in the presidential race. Speaking on behalf of national interest, Okechukwu warned that Atiku’s 2022 emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential nominee has had far‑reaching consequences for the party and the country’s democratic landscape.
He recalled his personal respect for Atiku, noting the late political figures Dubem Onyia and Chuba Okadigbo, whom Atiku was close to. Despite that admiration, Okechukwu argued that the decision to run for the PDP ticket three years ago breached the long‑standing rotation convention that sought to zone the party’s presidential slot to the South.
“The collateral damage from that breach is heavy,” Okechukwu said. “While Nigeria’s democratic institutions survived, the PDP was left destabilised, and the harm cannot be measured in simple terms.” He added that the fallout has even reached Atiku’s own political base, suggesting that a more statesmanlike approach in 2022 could have preserved the party’s strength.
Okechukwu pointed out a hypothetical scenario: had Atiku conceded the 2014 presidential contest to the North, joined the APC, and later returned to the PDP after a third‑place finish, the party might have avoided the current crisis. He noted that in the 2018 PDP primaries, no Southern aspirant was allowed to compete, a direct result of the earlier breach.
The APC chieftain also criticised Atiku’s recent accusations against President Bola Tinubu, claiming the president is steering Nigeria toward a one‑party state. Okechukwu countered that such claims overlook the internal PDP decisions — particularly the 2022 ticket controversy — that have weakened the opposition and contributed to the very political fragility Atiku now decries.
In closing, Okechukwu urged Atiku to place the nation’s interest above personal ambition, stating that it is not too late for the former vice‑president to act as a true statesman and help stabilise Nigeria’s democratic process.
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