Atiku Speaks On Okowa’s Defection

<h4>Atiku Speaks<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a> <&sol;strong>reports that Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party&comma; PDP&comma; in the 2023 general elections&comma; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar&comma; has opened up on the defection of his running mate&comma; former governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state to the All Progressives Congress&comma; APC&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Okowa and the state governor&comma; Rt Honourable Sheriff Oborevwori also joined in the defection to the APC&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Reacting&comma; Atiku said&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>I have been overwhelmed with inquiries from concerned Nigerians&comma; all eager to understand my position on the latest political shifts&comma; particularly the defection of some PDP members to the ruling party&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Let me be unequivocal&colon; freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights&period; Alongside these stand the pillars of a just and functional democratic society&colon; the people&comma; the rule of law&comma; credible elections&comma; and accountability&period; Undermine any of these&comma; and democracy itself begins to crumble&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>As someone who holds fast to these values&comma; I bear no grudges against anyone for exercising their right to political alignment&period; Defections&comma; alliances&comma; and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics&period; We’ve seen them before&comma; and we’ll see them again&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Some have resorted to insults because I visited former President Muhammadu Buhari&period; Let’s not rewrite history&colon; Buhari is not only a former leader but a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape&period; During the 2013 opposition merger&comma; the leaders of the time consulted widely — including visits to Obasanjo and Babangida&period; <&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>So why is it now sacrilegious for me and other leaders to visit Buhari in Kaduna&quest; If you truly believe in freedom of association&comma; then you must respect the rights of all political actors to engage&comma; regardless of party lines&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>When PDP leaders are busy sipping tea and brokering power deals with President Tinubu&comma; it’s called strategic alliance&period; But the moment I greet Peter Obi&comma; el-Rufai&comma; or visit Buhari&comma; it becomes a national emergency&period; Hypocrisy and the politics of selective outrage have never been this fashionable&excl;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Let us be clear&colon; the coming political battle is not APC versus PDP&comma; or LP versus APC&period; It is Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering&period; The economy is in freefall&period; Inflation is choking the masses&period; Jobs are vanishing&period; Youth restiveness is surging to terrifying levels&period; Nigerians are not just tired — they are angry&comma; and rightfully so&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>This moment is about collective survival&period; The real enemy is not one another — it is the <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">Tinubu<&sol;a> administration’s abysmal failure&period; We must reject every attempt to distract us with ethnic&comma; regional&comma; or religious sentiments&period; These are tools of manipulation&comma; designed to divide and conquer&comma; used by those with nothing else to offer&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>The Tinubu administration has no achievements to stand on&comma; no credible record to defend&period; Its only strategy is chaos and division&comma; because that’s the last refuge of the incompetent&period; And make no mistake— an incompetent captain does not only wreck his ship&semi; he endangers the lives of everyone on board&period; -AA<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;