‘Nigerian Opposition Must Unite To Oust APC’ – Atiku Hails Election In Senegal

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the only way the ruling party can be ousted from power to enable the salvation of Nigeria is for the opposition political parties to unite in the next general elections.

Leading political leaders went separately in the 2023 elections which led to split votes. Many analysts including the candidates during the election have said the divided opposition created an easy electoral route for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge victorious.

Atiku restated this on Friday having canvassed for a united opposition soon after the Supreme Court ruled on the outcome of the 2023 elections.

In a message congratulating Senegalese people and Bassirou Diomaye, whose victory has been reverberating across the region and the world, Atiku said military interregnum is not an option.

He said the election in Senegal “gives hope to the future of constitutional democracy in the region.

“For us in Nigeria and elsewhere, there’s a huge lesson to be learnt from the Senegal experience. It is an affirmation that democracy, which is anchored on the supremacy of the ballot, represents the best form of government.

“It is also possible for the electoral umpire to run an election on the basis of the law and its own guidelines that give confidence to all parties and the voters,” Atiku, who had been on the ballot for more than half of the presidential elections since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, said.

He reminisced that, “Our experiences in both 2019 and 2023 show clearly that INEC performed below this expectation.

“Whereas in Senegal, the responses of the major actors and the citizens are a validation of the process of the election that voted for President-elect Bassirou Diomaye.”

He stressed that, “It is important to note that last Sunday’s election in Senegal follows the trend of that in Nigeria in 2015 that the opposition can indeed be victorious in an election conducted by the ruling party.

“And for the opposition parties, the lessons are in agreement with my persistent call for our opposition parties to forge a coalition that is formidable enough to oust the ruling party if the salvaging of Nigeria is to stand any chance.

“Congratulations, President-elect Faye. It is my hope and prayer that your election will not only be hugely beneficial to the people of Senegal but also an inspiration to the rest of us in the West African subregion,” Atiku said.