A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) runs an un-inclusive administration.
He lamented that the party used him and some other party members to achieve success in the 2015 general elections, and dumped them afterward.
Atiku was speaking in an interview with the Voice of America Hausa service.
He said that he used his contacts and resources to support the party in defeating the then ruling Peoples Democratic party in the Presidential election.
The 2015 general election was a turning point in Nigeria’s democracy, where incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated.
It was the first time in the country’s democratic history for an incumbent President to be defeated in an election.
Atiku said: “I was part of all the processes, including campaigns until success was achieved. But sadly, soon after the formation of the government; I was side-lined, I have no relationship with the government.
“ I’ve not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance,” he said.
Atiku went further to explain how he was used and dumped by the APC. “They used our money and influence to get to where they’re but three years down the lane, this is where we are,” he lamented.
Neptune Prime recalls that Atiku Abubakar was one of the aspirants in the primary elections of the APC in 2015. He, alongside, former Governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha contested in the Primaries, where President Buhari emerged the winner.
The former Vice President in the interview, however, lauded President Buhari’s effort and success recorded in the fight against Boko Haram but said more needed to be done.insurgents, but noted that it was not yet time to celebrate because the Federal Government had failed
“Yes, there were successes but not a comprehensive success because the Boko Haram miscreants are still very active, killing our people and many local government councils in Borno and Yobe are under their firm grip. People cannot dare go back to their dwellings,” he stressed.
“This thing baffles me; I never imagined that Nigeria will fight a protracted battle with Boko Haram for five years.
“At a time, we fought the Biafra war, which was more complicated because of the terrain in the South but the Biafran soldiers were roundly subdued in 30 months. But here we are, fighting an endless battle with the Boko Haram and there’s no end in sight,” he said.
Also commenting on the anti-corruption crusade of the present administration, Atiku said government’s fight against corrupt politicians still required more work to record a resounding success.
“How many people were arrested, prosecuted and jailed? How much was recovered from the looters?
“When we came on board in 1999, I remember we recovered between $4.5 and $4.7 billion from those that looted under (Late Sani) Abacha,” he stated.
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