Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a fresh attack on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as “a party of forgers and riggers” and accusing it of consistently undermining Nigeria’s democratic processes.

 

Atiku made the remarks in Minna after a closed-door meeting with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), at the IBB residence. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, was held behind closed doors while journalists and supporters waited outside the compound.

 

Reacting to recent tax reforms proposed and gazetted by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Vice President said Nigerians should not be surprised by the actions of the ruling party.

 

“What do you expect? APC generally is a party of forgers and riggers. They forge everything—certificates, age limits—they forge everything. That is the hallmark of APC,” Atiku alleged.

 

He also criticised the outcome of the Senate’s emergency plenary on electoral reforms, particularly the decision on election result transmission, describing it as a major disappointment to Nigerians.

 

“First and foremost, it is below the expectation of Nigerians, because Nigerians were expecting real-time transmission of election results at the various levels,” he 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.”

 

Atiku called on opposition political parties to close ranks and push collectively for credible electoral reforms.

 

“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 stated.

 

On speculation about his possible ambition for the 2027 presidential election, Atiku dismissed the issue, saying it was not currently under consideration. He noted that he is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is focused on strengthening the party’s structure nationwide.

 

“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.

 

He added that the ADC is concentrating on nationwide mobilisation and registration of members, stressing that the party does not operate zoning in its constitution. According to him, zoning is formally entrenched only in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 

Meanwhile, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, also held a separate closed-door meeting with Gen. Babangida at the Minna residence. However, he declined to speak with journalists after the meeting