Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says he regrets joining other political leaders to form the All Progressives Congress in 2014 to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan from power.
Atiku spoke on Thursday in Abuja during a press conference organised by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He said the coalition that produced the APC in 2014 aimed to fix what they considered a faulty democracy. However, he lamented that the country now faces similar, if not worse, challenges.
‘Situation Worse Than 2014’
Atiku said insecurity and economic hardship topped the list of concerns in 2014. According to him, those problems have deepened under the current administration.
“We came together and formed APC because we felt democracy was faulty in 2014,” he said. “Only for us to end up at the same position we found ourselves in 2014.”
He added that insecurity and economic instability were major campaign issues at the time. “Now it is even worse than what we fought in 2014,” he said.
Atiku urged opposition leaders to remain focused on restoring what he described as true democracy in Nigeria. He said they must succeed in correcting the current trajectory.
Opposition Demands Electoral Act Amendment
Speaking on behalf of the opposition leaders, Ajuji Ahmed, national chairman of the NNPP, called on the national assembly to amend the newly enacted Electoral Act.
He demanded that lawmakers make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The NNPP chairman rejected any proviso that validates manual results in the event of communication failure.
According to him, such clauses could undermine electoral transparency and public trust.
Prominent Leaders in Attendance
Several opposition figures attended the briefing. They included Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party; Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State and ex-minister of transportation; Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State and immediate past minister of interior; and David Mark, former president of the senate.
The leaders said they would continue to push for reforms that guarantee credible elections and strengthen democratic institutions.
