Like Senegal, we can send APC packing by forming a strong coalition – says Atiku to opposition parties

Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated Senegal’s President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his well-deserved victory.

Atiku also advised him to ensure that his election would not only be beneficial to the people of Senegal but should also be an inspiration to the rest of the people of the West African subregion.

Atiku, who stated this in statement on Friday, reiterated his call for opposition parties to forge a coalition that would be formidable enough to oust the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), if the salvaging of Nigeria was to stand any chance.

“Against the backdrop of recent military interventions in the West African subregion, the election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye as Senegal’s President-elect in the election of March 24, 2024 gives hope to the future of constitutional democracy in the region,” the former Vice President explained.

Atiku, however, noted that there was a huge lesson for Nigerians and elsewhere to learn from the Senegal experience. “It is an affirmation that democracy, which is anchored on the supremacy of the ballot, represents the best form of government.

“It is also possible for the electoral umpire to run an election on the basis of the law and its own guidelines that give confidence to all parties and the voters.”

He said that Nigeria’s experiences in both 2019 and 2023 show clearly that INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) performed below this expectation.

“Whereas in Senegal, the responses of the major actors and the citizens are a validation of the process of the election that voted for President-elect Bassirou Diomaye.

“It is important to note that last Sunday’s election in Senegal follows the trend of that in Nigeria in 2015 that the opposition can indeed be victorious in an election conducted by the ruling party.

“And for the opposition parties, the lessons are in agreement with my persistent call for our opposition parties to forge a coalition that is formidable enough to oust the ruling party if the salvaging of Nigeria is to stand any chance.

“Congratulations, President-elect Faye. It is my hope and prayer that your election will not only be hugely beneficial to the people of Senegal but also an inspiration to the rest of us in the West African subregion,” the statement partly read.