Atiku Abubakar: Nigeria’s Master of Political Crossovers

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as Nigeria’s most prominent political defector, stating that no one is better suited to write a book on the subject than Atiku himself.

Oshiomhole made these remarks during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday. He pointed to Atiku’s repeated history of switching political parties as clear evidence of his deep experience in political realignment and party defections, especially at the highest levels of government.

“But let me remind you that those who started defection, the most popular one in the history of Nigeria is His Excellency Atiku Abubakar,” Oshiomhole said.

Oshiomhole recounted how Atiku, while serving as Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007, left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2006 for the Action Congress (AC) after falling out with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku later returned to the PDP in 2009, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, and switched back to the PDP in 2017. Oshiomhole emphasized that these moves were not the result of external pressure or coercion, but rather personal decisions made by Atiku.

He challenged the narrative that the ruling APC lacks internal unity, arguing instead that Atiku’s frequent party changes are motivated by personal ambition rather than any deep ideological differences. Oshiomhole questioned whether Atiku was ever forced or persuaded by party leaders to change parties, especially highlighting his move to ACN (now part of APC) when it was led by Bola Tinubu, who was not even a sitting president at the time.

Oshiomhole further dismissed allegations that politicians are being coerced to defect to the APC, using Atiku’s political journey as an example. He suggested that Atiku’s experience makes him the best authority to write about the reasons politicians switch parties in Nigeria.

“I think the best person who can write a book on why people decamp should be the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar. It would be nice to ask him, as a sitting vice president, you left your party and you were courted by no state at all.”

Atiku’s history of party defections has become a focal point in the ongoing debate about political loyalty and ambition in Nigeria. Oshiomhole’s comments come amid a wave of defections by opposition politicians to the APC, fueling discussions about the state of political cohesion and the motivations behind such moves.

Oshiomhole concluded by reiterating that Atiku’s actions speak for themselves, and that his unique perspective on party defections would make for a compelling and insightful book on Nigeria’s political landscape.

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