Atiku Under Fire As APC Chieftain Accuses Him Of Benefiting From Zoning

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent comments on zoning, accusing him of downplaying a political arrangement that once worked in his favour.

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent comments on zoning, accusing him of downplaying a political arrangement that once worked in his favour.

Okechukwu was reacting to Atiku’s reported statement describing zoning as “self-defeating,” a position the APC chieftain said contradicts Nigeria’s long-standing political tradition aimed at promoting fairness, inclusion, and national unity.

According to him, zoning has played a major role in balancing power across different regions of the country and should not be dismissed by politicians who previously benefited from it.

He questioned how Atiku could now criticise zoning despite rising to national prominence through the same political understanding that shaped Nigeria’s power-sharing structure.

Okechukwu also recalled the events leading up to the 2015 general election, noting that Atiku left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after former President Goodluck Jonathan emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

The APC stalwart further faulted Atiku’s recent comments suggesting that it would be difficult for a Southern opposition candidate to defeat a sitting Southern president in 2027.

According to Okechukwu, such arguments encourage divisive politics and undermine the purpose of zoning, which he said was created to reduce regional tensions and ensure political balance in the country.

He also disagreed with Atiku’s claims regarding how long the South and North have occupied the presidency since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

Okechukwu argued that discussions about political equity should take historical realities into account, insisting that Northern Nigeria had held power at the centre for decades before the current democratic era.

The APC chieftain further claimed that Atiku failed to fully utilise the political opportunities available to him during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He maintained that calls for political “realism” ahead of the 2027 elections carry little weight coming from someone who, according to him, had already enjoyed significant influence at the highest level of government.