‘Atiku Has Raised The Bar Of Democracy For Allowing His Son Join APC’ – Eze

A politician and APC chieftain, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has commended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for what he described as his display of political tolerance and sagacity following his son’s defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Eze said Atiku’s reaction to the defection of his son, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, popularly known as Abba, showed rare democratic maturity, insisting that the former Vice President distinguished between family decisions and political choices.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Eze described Atiku as an iconic, humane, trailblazer and sagacious politician, adding that he remains one of Africa’s leading democrats with unblemished credentials.

He noted that Atiku, who is seeking the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress, made it clear that his son’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC was a personal decision.

Social media platforms have been awash with reactions since Abba’s defection, with some analysts describing the move as ill-timed and unnecessary.

However, Eze said the development should instead be seen as a moral and political lesson to leaders who parade themselves as democrats but act otherwise.

According to him, Atiku’s stance further projected him as a seasoned democrat who respects freedom of choice, even within his family.

Eze said, “By supporting his son’s defection from PDP to APC, Atiku has raised the bar of democracy, thereby showing and proving to the world that he is truly, in words and actions, a refined and principled democrat.

“This singular act has proven Atiku as a man full of political tolerance and sagacity, a beacon of democracy.”

Eze added that the former Vice President’s approach placed him on the same pedestal as political families known for internal cohesion and tolerance.

“Atiku has now equalled the Saraki dynasty in political tolerance, sagacity, acceptability and cohesion,” he stated.

The APC chieftain also took a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing his administration of intimidating opposition politicians and parties.

Eze said, “You are not a democrat when you use state institutions to coerce, intimidate and witch-hunt opposition elements simply because you want to win an election.

“You must not be a President to be a democrat, and being a President does not automatically make one a democrat.”

He alleged that efforts were being made to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that such actions contrasted sharply with Atiku’s conduct.

“These undemocratic acts depict Tinubu as a man incapable of tolerating dissenting voices; and his crude type of politics has and will always place Atiku Abubakar in a vantage position over him in the annals of democrats,” Eze added.