Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a fresh attack on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), branding it “a party of forgers and riggers” and accusing it of undermining Nigeria’s democratic process.
Atiku spoke to journalists in Minna on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.) at the latter’s residence. The meeting lasted nearly two hours, with supporters and journalists waiting outside the compound.
Reacting to the tax reforms proposed and gazetted by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku said the actions of the ruling party should not come as a surprise to Nigerians.
“What do you expect? APC generally is a party of forgers and riggers. They forge everything—certificates, age limits—everything. That is the hallmark of APC,” he said.
The former vice president also criticized the outcome of the Senate’s emergency plenary session on electoral reforms, describing lawmakers’ position on result transmission as disappointing.
“First and foremost, it is below the expectations of Nigerians, because Nigerians were expecting real-time transmission of election results at the various levels,” Atiku said.
“What we got instead is a mixture of electronic and manual transmission, which is going to cause more confusion and chaos than if we had a single-tier electronic transmission of results.”
He urged opposition political parties to unite in pushing for credible electoral reforms, warning against allowing the matter to end with the current legislative position.
“We must come together to pursue this issue. We shouldn’t allow it to rest where they want it to rest. Absolutely not. I don’t support that,” he added.
On speculation about his political ambition, Atiku said he is not considering contesting the 2027 presidential election at the moment, noting that he is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“The question of contesting the 2027 election does not even arise. I am a member of ADC, and we are busy ensuring our structures are firmly rooted at ward, local, state, and national levels,” he said.
Atiku added that the party is currently focused on mobilization and nationwide membership registration, stressing that the ADC does not operate zoning in its constitution, unlike the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Meanwhile, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde also held a separate closed-door meeting with Babangida at the Minna residence but declined to speak with journalists afterward.
