FLASHBACK: In 2014, Atiku told TheCable ‘APC is my last bus stop’

With his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has gone back on his words that the APC will be his “last bus stop”.

In an interview with TheCable in 2014, Atiku said he had no regrets jumping from party to party to pursue his political ambition.

“I have no regrets. And I should not have any. I was a founding member of the PDP. At a point, the PDP leadership became insensitive to the aspirations of party members who were being denied the right to participate in the activities of the party, particularly in the elections,” Atiku had told TheCable.

“I was virtually kicked out of the party because of my insistence that internal democracy within the party was critical to the survival of democracy. You will recall that I have always been an advocate of a two-party system because it gives people viable choice.”

Atiku, who co-founded both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which was among the merger for the APC, said his moves were based on “wide consultations”.

“I also co-founded the ACN which was supposed to be an alternative to PDP and provide a choice for Nigerians. ACN was not intended to be a platform for dealings but when it turned out to be that, my supporters decided to go back to PDP,” he had said.

“As a leader, my decisions on the choice of party affiliations are taken in response to the desires of those who look up to me for leadership. It is not about me. It is about the electoral futures of my supporters.

“I never changed political parties without wide consultation with my supporters and without subjecting my decisions to their desires. This is what a leader should do and should be prepared to take responsibility.

“For the avoidance of doubt however, the APC is my last bus stop. We now have two formidable political parties and Nigerians have a viable choice.”

Based on wide consultations from supporters — and this time including God — Atiku will now be moving to a new “bus stop” to be disclosed soon.