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By Oscar Okhifo
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that the leadership crises currently affecting opposition political parties are being deliberately orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and some elements within the judiciary.
He made the allegation on Thursday in his acceptance speech after being declared winner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, where he emerged as the party’s flag bearer for the upcoming general elections.
Speaking after his victory, Atiku described the ADC as a coalition built through “hard work, immense sacrifices and compromises,” adding that it is driven by a determination to restore and defend Nigeria’s democratic system.
He commended the conduct of the primary, insisting that the ADC has demonstrated internal democracy in contrast to what he described as the weakening of democratic values in the broader political space.
He said: “We demonstrated that while democracy is being strangled and squashed by the ruling party and its oppressive and anti-democratic government, democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress. In our party, members are allowed to express their views, to have ambitions and to contest for elective positions in a free, fair and transparent process.
“Our great party is a coalition built through hard work, immense sacrifices and compromises, guided by our determination to rescue our country’s democracy which is facing its greatest threat since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
“As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have leadership crisis engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary. And opposition figures continue to be harassed and intimidated, including those languishing in detention, such as Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who distinguished himself as a public servant, including as a Minister and two-term Governor of Kaduna State.
“He has been in detention for three months despite court orders granting him bail. He has been denied the right to celebrate two important religious holidays with his family in addition to being denied the opportunity to be by his mother’s side as she took her last breath. All because he is a leading opposition figure! This kind of cruelty must stop.
“The government continues to harass, intimidate and coerce opposition politicians to join the APC using the security agencies as well as the agencies which were set up by a previous government to fight corruption. Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear. This abuse of power must stop.
“Great care was taken to ensure that due diligence was done in the process of forming this coalition. Yet the government and the INEC continue to undermine it, even attempting to deregister it. Let me warn that any further attempt to interfere in the affairs of the party by the Presidency, INEC and judiciary will be fiercely resisted. Enough is enough.”
He, however, called for unity within the party, congratulating other contestants and stressing that the outcome of the primary should be seen as a collective effort rather than a contest of winners and losers.
Atiku said the party must now channel its energy toward what he described as the urgent task of rescuing Nigeria from a “corrupt, incompetent and polarising APC government,” urging members to close ranks ahead of the general elections.
The National Chairman of the ADC, Sen. David Mark, also said the exercise was designed to demonstrate that democracy remains functional in Nigeria, noting that political competition should be anchored on principles rather than personality clashes, while insisting that the country still has a “bright future” despite its challenges.