Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing attack at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing its administration as the worst he has witnessed in nearly four decades of political engagement.
Atiku made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking at the launch of The Loyalist, a book written by the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The former vice-president, who is a chieftain of the ADC, said he was pleased that politicians of diverse backgrounds and ideologies were able to come together under the party’s platform.
According to him, the ADC represents a rare convergence of political tendencies united by a common goal of rescuing Nigeria and renewing its democratic journey.
He expressed gratitude to contributors and supporters of the book launch for supporting Abdullahi and enriching national political discourse.
Urging Nigerians to engage deeply with The Loyalist, Atiku said the book should be seen as more than a personal narrative.
“Let it guide us in the discharge of our public responsibilities, and may it inspire ongoing dialogue, scholarship, and action that advance justice, fairness, dignity, and opportunity for every citizen of this country,” he said.
Atiku said Nigeria was facing an extraordinary moment that required collective action, insisting that the current administration had inflicted unprecedented damage on the country.
“If there is anything positive in our recent political development, it is this coming together to rescue the country from what I consider the worst administration I have witnessed in nearly four decades of political life,” he said.
He added, “Not even the military dictatorships before 1999 damaged our national life and consciousness in the way this administration has done.”
The former vice-president recalled that many of those now in the ADC were among the architects of the APC, but admitted that the party had failed to live up to its founding vision.
“Many of us here were part of the formation of the APC. Unfortunately, what we believed would rescue the country has not happened,” he said.
Atiku argued that just as political leaders once came together to form an alternative platform, there was again a responsibility to unite behind a new political organisation capable of salvaging Nigeria.
“Just as we once took responsibility to come together and form a political alternative, we must again come together to ensure the emergence of a new political organisation capable of salvaging this country for the benefit of its people,” he added.
