I contested 2007 presidential election to preserve sanctity of democracy — ATIKU *Says I’ll never allow a despot to rule Nigeria again

FORMER Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that he contested the 2007 presidential elections in the face of defeat, to preserve the sanctity of democracy.

He also noted that he would never go back to the vow he took on the night late Gen. Sani Abacha allegedly sent hit squad after him, never to allow another despot rule Nigeria again.

The former Vice President, who said this in a statement yesterday,  stated that after his first term as Vice President, he was faced with a fundamental question of remaining loyal to his boss, party or constitution.

His words: “This might sound strange because that was two nights before the 2007 Presidential elections, and we were about to lose. It was my first, and only, run in a general election for president, and I knew it would be a heavy loss.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

 “At that point I knew if I did not run in that election, all those battles over the years would be lost. People in the future could potentially be banned from contesting elections because petty personal vendettas outweigh legitimate court rulings. I also ran because, win or lose, I would have given a gift of legitimacy to our democracy, even if I was not going to enjoy the results. 

“So the next morning, I went out, voted, went home and waited for my loss as expected. I knew that while I was going to lose a battle, I had won the war – a war to preserve the sanctity of our democratic process.’’

In addition, he said, “Over the preceding four years – at great risk to my own political future – I had engaged in long, tough battle to maintain the viability of our young democracy by preserving the presidential term limits prescribed by the constitution.  The issues that led to these battles were rooted in principle. The key element was that after a productive first term as Vice President, I was faced with a fundamental question of loyalty: should I remain loyal to my boss and party, or should I remain loyal to our constitution and democracy?’’

Continuing, Atiku said, “And Abacha went so far as to send a hit squad to open fire on my family and me at our home in Kaduna. That was the very night I vowed that when we defeated this military junta, I would never allow another despot to sit and rule over the people of Nigeria.

“This gift of life and of dreams is why I stay in the fight for justice, in the hope it will eventually bring the kind of government Nigeria truly deserves. This is what democracy means to me – freedom, opportunity and dignity for Nigerians.’’