Atiku Is an Anti-Democrat — APC Chieftain Osita Okechukwu

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as belonging to the “class of anti-democrats.”

Okechukwu made the remark on Friday while reacting to Atiku’s interview with BBC Hausa Service, in which the former vice president said he would support and mentor a younger candidate if such a person emerged through a competitive primary election.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Okechukwu faulted Atiku’s stance, arguing that by elevating competitive primaries above Nigeria’s long-standing zoning and rotation arrangement, he undermined the unity and stability that have sustained the Fourth Republic since 1999.

He recalled that Atiku was himself a beneficiary of the zoning principle but later campaigned against it in 2014, eventually winning the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary at a time when no southern aspirant contested.

“Discarding zoning in favour of dollarised primaries dressed up as democracy represents the height of anti-democratic conduct,” Okechukwu said.

He stressed that zoning guarantees equity and inclusion in Nigeria’s plural society, adding that Atiku’s position prioritises “expensive, monetised, and exclusionary primaries” over national unity.

Okechukwu further argued that Atiku’s comments reinforced concerns that his pursuit of power is not to strengthen democratic institutions but to weaken the very principles that sustain Nigeria’s democracy.