A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and instead embrace the role of a statesman.
Okechukwu made the appeal while speaking on Prime Time on Arise Television on Monday. He argued that Atiku’s decision to contest the 2023 presidential election against the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) zoning arrangement significantly weakened the opposition party and Nigeria’s democracy.
The APC stalwart noted that Atiku’s emergence as the PDP presidential candidate in 2022, despite strong calls for the party to zone its ticket to the South after eight years of Northern presidency, triggered a major crisis within the PDP that continues to haunt the party.
Expressing respect for the former Vice President, Okechukwu said:
“I have great respect for His Excellency Atiku Abubakar… My appeal to him is to consider the interest of the Nigerian state and our fledgling democracy.”
He recalled that Atiku had previously left the PDP in 2014 over the party’s refusal to zone the presidency to the North, joined the APC, and later returned to the PDP. Okechukwu contrasted this with Atiku’s refusal to allow power rotation to the South in 2022.
According to Okechukwu, Atiku’s decision to contest the PDP primary in 2022 instead of stepping aside for a Southern candidate caused heavy collateral damage to the PDP. This included the rebellion by the G5 governors, deepened internal divisions, and ultimately contributed to the party’s poor performance in the 2023 presidential election.
He faulted Atiku’s recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu over alleged attempts to create a one-party state, arguing that Atiku’s own actions in 2022 played a significant role in weakening the PDP as a viable opposition.
“If he had allowed a Southerner to contest against President Tinubu, even if the PDP had lost, the party could have remained strong,” Okechukwu said.
The controversy over Atiku’s emergence as PDP candidate in 2022 stemmed from the party’s unwritten zoning principle, which many believed should have favoured the South after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure in office.
Okechukwu maintained that it is not too late for Atiku to put national interest above personal ambition and carve out a legacy as a true statesman.