Osita Okechukwu: Atiku Should Consider the Interest of Nigeria’s State—Our Fledging Democracy, And Step Aside

The former Director-general of Voice of Nigeria, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has appealed to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step aside from the 2027 presidential race, arguing that doing so would protect Nigeria’s fledgling democracy and uphold the country’s power rotation principle.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Okechukwu, who said he holds Atiku in high regard, argued that the former vice president’s decision to contest the 2023 presidential election against the zoning convention inflicted “heavy collateral damage” on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), weakening the opposition and undermining democratic stability.

“I am talking in the best interest of our country. His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is a man I respect a lot. I have great respect for him. What I am appealing to him is that he should consider the interest of Nigeria’s state—our fledging democracy and withdraw.

“About three years ago, he did the same thing by breaching the rotation convention, and the collateral damage was heavy. It was heavy in the sense that, luckily for the Nigerian state, democracy and the country remained. However, the destabilization of the PDP had its own collateral damages that cannot be quantified,” he said.

He maintained that if Atiku had allowed a Southern aspirant to emerge as the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, the party would have remained stronger, adding that the internal crisis that followed contributed to the defection of key figures, including Nyesom Wike, to work with the APC.

“So, what am I saying? I am saying that when he breached it in 2022, the consequences in the PDP made him forget—or maybe deliberately cross over and sweep under the carpet—that if he had allowed a Southerner to contest, even if the PDP had lost, the party could have remained strong. Someone like His Excellency Nyesom Wike, the Governor, would have had no need to come to the APC. A win for the APC could have benefited from what democracy provided in terms of checks and balances,” he argued.

Speaking on the argument that Nigeria’s Constitution does not recognise zoning, Okechukwu maintained that while the principle is not legally binding, political conventions carry moral weight and are vital to preserving national unity.

“Throughout the history of man in the public domain, there are two issues: the law, as you said, with its legality, and the convention, with its moral weight. At this point in history, especially in a democracy, it is always weighed: where does the favor lie for the collective interest of all?”, he quizzed.

Addressing concerns over the South-East’s exclusion from the APC’s zoning arrangement in 2023, the APC stalwart explained that the party’s decisions were influenced by political realities and its evolution, while recalling former President Muhammadu Buhari’s long-standing efforts to accommodate the region before the APC was formed.

“In 2003, President Buhari nominated Chuba Okadigbo as his vice presidential candidate. What happened? Around 2003, they left. In 2007, the same Buhari made Edwin Ume-Ezeoke his running mate, but we didn’t get many votes from the East. In 2011, he tried the Yoruba land first by going with Tunde Bakare. In 2015, we now formed the APC, and luckily, what Atiku had done years back was what Tinubu did.

“So I’m saying that the East is aligned with the PDP. It is Atiku that disappointed them because they gave all their support,” he added.

On whether zoning has deepened ethnic divisions, Okechukwu disagreed, insisting that the principle had not further divided Nigeria or fuelled violence. He warned that abandoning the convention could instead heighten tensions and inflame ethnic sentiments.

“It did not divide Nigeria further, and it didn’t breed violence. It’s not the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario—which is ultra-hatred—is when you do not yield, and you are going round in the night letting them know that the South has come again. That’s what I want to avoid,” he noted.

Reiterating his call for Atiku Abubakar to step aside in 2027, Okechukwu said his appeal was motivated by concern for Nigeria’s stability rather than partisanship, warning against actions that could inflame ethnic tensions.

“I’m being a partisan politician of 40 years. I’m not new in the business. I’ve been long in the business, and my fear is that we should not stoop to ethnic violence. That’s my fear. Remember his reference to saying that this is his last card. You could see how agreeably messy it was yesterday.

“What I’m saying is he knew it was his last outing. When it is the last card in poker, the last card is always dangerous,” he concluded.

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