‘I Regret Being Part Of Those Who Formed APC To Chase Out Jonathan’, Says Atiku

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed regret over his role in the 2014 political coalition that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the country’s situation presently has deteriorated beyond what it was when the alliance was formed.

Atiku spoke on Thursday in Abuja at an opposition stakeholder meeting convened to deliberate on reforms to the new Electoral Act and the state of Nigeria’s democracy.

Reflecting on the events that led to the merger of opposition parties in 2014, he said the coalition was born out of concerns that democracy was faltering at the time.

“We were without caution, you see, we did this exercise in 2014. We came together and formed APC because we felt democracy was faulty in 2014,” he said.

However, he lamented that the current realities in the country mirror, and in his view, surpassed the challenges that prompted the merger over a decade ago.

“Only for us to end up in the same situation we found ourselves in 2014, even worse,” Atiku stated.

According to him, while insecurity and economic instability were key concerns in 2014, the present condition of the nation has become more troubling.

“In 2014, the major challenge was insecurity here and there, economy and so on and so forth. Now it is even worse than what we fought in 2014,” he said.

The former vice president stressed the need for renewed unity among opposition forces to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic process, particularly in light of ongoing debates around electoral reforms.

“We must have that in mind that we must succeed to make sure that we restore true democracy in our country,” Atiku added.