Defections: Atiku warns Nigerians against divisive politics

… tackles Tinubu’s govt

By Kunle Sanni

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lashed out at the Bola Tinubu administration, calling it the “real enemy” of Nigerians.

He urged Nigerians to reject attempts to distract them with ethnic, religious, or regional sentiments.

Atiku’s remarks were in response to the recent wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has sparked widespread debate and criticism across the political landscape.

In a statement on Friday, Atiku addressed what he described as the “overwhelming inquiries” from concerned Nigerians about his position on the defections. While affirming the constitutional right to freedom of association, he warned that such political realignments must not be used to mask the failures of the current administration.

“The real enemy is not one another — it is the Tinubu administration’s abysmal failure,” Atiku declared.

“We must reject every attempt to distract us with ethnic, regional, or religious sentiments. These are tools of manipulation, designed to divide and conquer, used by those with nothing else to offer.”

He dismissed criticism of his recent visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that past opposition coalitions also engaged in similar outreach to elder statesmen. He accused critics of hypocrisy and double standards, pointing to high-level meetings between PDP leaders and President Tinubu that have attracted little backlash.

Atiku painted a bleak picture of the state of the nation, citing economic collapse, surging inflation, rising youth unrest, and vanishing jobs under the Tinubu-led government.

Framing the coming political struggle as one between the people and a failing administration, Atiku urged Nigerians to remain focused on the bigger picture.