Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed regret over his role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that ousted President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections, admitting that Nigeria’s current situation has deteriorated beyond the challenges that motivated the coalition .
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, attended by leaders of various opposition parties, Atiku reflected on the events that led to the merger of opposition parties in 2014 .
“We did this exercise in 2014, not so? We came together and formed APC because we felt democracy was faltering, only for us to end up at the same position we found ourselves in 2014, worse,” he stated .
According to the former presidential candidate, insecurity and economic instability were the dominant concerns at the time that drove opposition figures to unite under the APC platform to challenge Jonathan’s administration .
However, Atiku argued that the country’s present challenges have now surpassed those that necessitated the coalition more than a decade ago .
“In 2014, the major challenges were insecurity, the economy and so on. Now it is even worse than what we fought against,” he said .
The former vice president stressed that lessons must be learnt from past political alliances, warning that any new coalition or opposition movement must remain focused on safeguarding democratic values and restoring public confidence in governance .
“We must have that in mind. We must succeed to make sure that we restore true democracy to our country,” Atiku charged opposition leaders .
The press briefing, themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” drew several prominent opposition leaders who gathered to address concerns about the state of governance and democratic institutions in the country ahead of the 2027 general elections .
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