Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has said it is dangerous for any individual or group in the ranks of the ruling party to constitute themselves into an opposition even before the constitution and take off President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
The former Vice President made the call against the backdrop of developments in the polity, which he notes are interplay of forces and interests that are dynamic, but must not be promoted to the point of being a threat to the country’s democracy and the new administration.
In a press statement released by by Mazi Paul Ibe, for his media office in Abuja on Sunday, Atiku acknowledged that it is legitimate and desirable for individuals or groups to seek to pursue their interest, however he said it must be done with the benefit of sustaining the Nigerian democracy and promoting equity, fair play and justice in mind.
“Anything to the contrary may jeopardise our hard-earned democracy and constitute a clog in the wheel of the new administration,” Atiku said.
The former vice president had been accused of creating a bloc in the party ahead of his 2019 ambition.
He noted that because of the historic nature of the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari and the arduous challenges ahead to deliver on making Nigeria work for all Nigerians, it is important, especially for members of his own party, to rally behind him in the quest to enthrone good governance, that will spur security and stability, economic and social development, job creation, infrastructure renewal and above all a better life for Nigerians.
The former Vice President urged members of the APC to emulate the unity of all the presidential contestants after the party’s Lagos primaries and support the President to form his government and get to work.
Atiku exonerated himself of the purported hijack of the party and the National Assembly towards 2019 claiming it as a figment of the imagination of those promoting it and asking Nigerians to ignore all such insinuations.
He noted that the recent outcomes of the National Assembly election contrary to insinuations are products of interplay of politics which is itself in constant motion.
“In politics, it is a mistake to expect fixed outcomes. As the President has done, let’s all come to terms with what has happened in the interest of the system and move on,” Atiku said.