Former Vice President said he bears no grudges against anyone who moves from one political party to another.
Atiku who was reacting to the recent defections in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noted that freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy.
“They are fundamental rights. Alongside these stand the pillars of a just and functional democratic society: the people, the rule of law, credible elections, and accountability.
“Undermine any of these, and democracy itself begins to crumble,” he stated.
Former Delta State governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday alongside his successor, Sheriff Oborevwori, was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku in a statement on Saturday, added that defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics.
“We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again,” Atiku said.
He stated that he has been insulted because he visited former President Muhammadu Buhari, but noted that “Buhari is not only a former leader but a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape.”
Atiku recalled that during the 2013 opposition merger, “the leaders of the time consulted widely, including visits to (Olusegun) Obasanjo and (Ibrahim) Babangida.”
He wondered why it is now sacrilegious for him and other leaders to visit Buhari in Kaduna.
“If you truly believe in freedom of association, then you must respect the rights of all political actors to engage, regardless of party lines,” he stated.
According to him, “when PDP leaders are busy sipping tea and brokering power deals with President Tinubu, it’s called strategic alliance. But the moment I greet Peter Obi, El-Rufai, or visit Buhari, it becomes a national emergency.
“Hypocrisy and the politics of selective outrage have never been this fashionable!” Atiku noted.
The former vice president stated that the coming political battle is not the All Progressives Congress (APC) versus PDP, or Labour Party versus APC.
“It is Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering,” he prophesied.
He regretted that the economy is in free fall while inflation is choking the masses.
“Jobs are vanishing. Youth restiveness is surging to terrifying levels. Nigerians are not just tired, they are angry, and rightfully so.
“This moment is about collective survival. The real enemy is not one another; it is the Tinubu administration’s abysmal failure.
“We must reject every attempt to distract us with ethnic, regional, or religious sentiments. These are tools of manipulation, designed to divide and conquer, used by those with nothing else to offer,” he advised.
Atiku stated that Preside President Bola Tinubu’s administration has no achievements to stand on, or no credible record to defend.
“Its only strategy is chaos and division, because that’s the last refuge of the incompetent.
“And make no mistake, an incompetent captain does not only wreck his ship; he endangers the lives of everyone on board,” he cautioned.
