Photo: Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole
…Urges former Vice President to Write a Book on Defection, Party Switching
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) has dubbed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar the most prominent political defector in Nigeria’s history, even suggesting that Atiku would be the ideal author of a book on political defections.
In a recent interview on Politics Today, a popular Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, Oshiomhole highlighted Atiku’s long history of party switches, positioning him as a seasoned expert in political realignment.
“Let me remind you, the most iconic defector in Nigeria’s political history is His Excellency Atiku Abubakar,” Oshiomhole declared, emphasising Atiku’s notable track record of party switching.
Oshiomhole pointed out Atiku’s boldest political move: in 2006, as Nigeria’s sitting vice president, Atiku defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a party that would later merge into the All Progressives Congress (APC). Oshiomhole questioned whether this move was driven by external pressure or ambition.
“Was Atiku pressured by anyone in ACN, led by Bola Tinubu, at the time?” Oshiomhole asked. “A non-state president?”
The former APC national chairman rejected the claim that the ruling party lacked internal unity, arguing that Atiku’s defections were motivated by his personal ambition rather than ideological differences.
“Did Tinubu coerce Atiku to join ACN?” Oshiomhole asked rhetorically. “Did ACN force Atiku to leave Obasanjo and the PDP, pick our ticket, and run for president?”
Atiku Abubakar, who served as Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007, has a long history of political realignment. He first left the PDP in 2006 for the Action Congress (AC) amid rising tensions with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku returned to the PDP in 2009, only to defect again in 2014 to the APC. He later returned to the PDP in 2017.
Oshiomhole questioned whether Atiku’s return to the PDP after his presidential defeat was influenced by external factors. “Did we force him to leave our party and return to PDP to contest against Goodluck Jonathan?” he asked.
“When he lost, did we pressure him to return to the APC and run against Muhammadu Buhari?” Oshiomhole continued.
Oshiomhole concluded by suggesting that if anyone should write a book on political defections in Nigeria, it would be Atiku Abubakar himself.
“As a sitting vice president, he left his party without being courted by anyone,” Oshiomhole concluded, pointing out Atiku’s extraordinary political journey.
