Tag: 2014

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed regret over his part in establishing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, saying the country is now in a worse state under the ruling government. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Atiku recalled how opposition leaders joined forces in 2014 to create APC, intending to address what they saw as growing threats to Nigeria’s democracy under former President Goodluck Jonathan. “We did this exercise in 2014, not so? We came together and formed APC because we felt democracy was faltering, only for us to end up at the same position we found ourselves in 2014 worse,” he said. Atiku said that insecurity and economic instability were the main concerns at the time, but he argued that the current situation has deteriorated beyond those early challenges. “In 2014, the major challenges were insecurity, the economy and so on. Now it is even worse than what we fought against,” he added. He stressed that future political coalitions must focus on restoring what he called “true democracy” to the country. “We must have that in mind. We must succeed to make sure that we restore true democracy to our country,” Atiku said. His comments coincided with a press briefing in Abuja by opposition leaders on Thursday, titled “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” which drew several prominent opposition figures.