Democracy Without Sacrifice: The Myth of Obi and Atiku
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) finds it imperative to interrogate-without sentiment or euphemism-the so-called democratic credentials of two serial presidential aspirants, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, who have recently anointed themselves as the conscience and moral barometers of Nigeria’s democracy.
Democracy is sustained by consistency, sacrifice, respect for institutions, and fidelity to the will of the people-not by selective outrage, convenience-driven alliances, or transactional politics. It is therefore necessary to look beyond slogans and social media noise and subject the records of these gentlemen to rigorous scrutiny.
Intensive research and a frank audit of Nigeria’s democratic history reveal an uncomfortable but unavoidable truth: neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar played any discernible role in the pro-democracy struggle that birthed the democratic space they now seek to dominate by entitlement. They were absent from the trenches when others faced detention, exile, intimidation, loss of livelihood, and death in the battle against military dictatorship. They made no sacrifices, bore no scars, and took no risks in defence of democratic ideals. Yet today, they seek to appropriate the moral capital earned by braver patriots, presenting themselves as frontline defenders of a democracy they neither fought for nor helped to secure.
Peter Obi’s political journey, in particular, raises serious questions about conviction and consistency. His serial movement across political platforms in pursuit of electoral fortune betrays not ideological depth but calculated opportunism. A true democrat does not sanctify the electoral process only when outcomes flatter personal ambition, nor does he subtly encourage grievance, intolerance, or populist resentment when the verdict of the people is unfavourable. Democracy demands patience, institutional loyalty, and maturity-qualities that cannot be improvised in the heat of political disappointment.
Atiku Abubakar’s long political career is even more instructive. Having traversed virtually every major political platform in Nigeria in his relentless quest for the presidency, he epitomizes ambition without ideological anchor. It is both ironic and disingenuous for a man who has been at the very centre of power and political engineering to now posture as a victim of the system he helped to construct. Democracy is not strengthened by serial defections, nor is it preserved by treating political parties as mere vehicles of convenience.
It is also instructive that both men now seek refuge in fragile coalitions united not by shared vision or ideology, but by resentment over electoral outcomes. Alliances forged by bitterness, entitlement, and desperation are not democratic alternatives; they are temporary shelters for unfulfilled ambition. Coalitions without soul, structure, or sacrifice cannot inspire national confidence.
The Lagos APC therefore reminds Nigerians that democracy is not defined by how loudly one protests after losing an election, but by how responsibly one behaves before, during, and after the process. It is about respect for the rule of law, strengthening institutions, and offering constructive opposition-not delegitimizing governance through perpetual cynicism and manufactured outrage.
Nigeria deserves statesmen, not serial aspirants. The electorate deserves clarity, not constant reinvention. History will ultimately favour those who respected democratic struggle, honoured its institutions, and accepted its outcomes-not those who merely discovered democracy when ambition demanded a moral disguise.
Both gladiators are hereby encouraged to accept this as an open challenge and present their democratic credentials to the discerning Nigerian public-devoid of fairytales.
Mogaji (Hon) Seye Oladejo
Lagos APC Spokesman
21/01/26
