Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has delivered a searing indictment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of steering Nigeria away from democratic governance toward authoritarian conquest.
In his Democracy Day message on Thursday, Atiku warned that Nigeria’s hard-earned democratic foundations—painstakingly laid since the historic June 12, 1993 election—are being systematically dismantled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The ruling party and its federal government now govern with the unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence,” he declared.
Lamenting what he described as a government more focused on silencing dissent and rewarding cronies than serving citizens, Atiku painted a grim picture of the current political climate.
“Their tactics are not subtle. Opposition voices are being systematically erased. Contracts for multi-billion-naira infrastructure are funnelled to cronies and family associates of the president. National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate. What we are witnessing is not governance, it is conquest,” he stated.
Calling the current administration the “lowest ebb” of Nigeria’s democratic journey, Atiku alleged that institutions have been weaponized and policies designed to control rather than uplift the populace.
“This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponized. Policies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The common Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort. And make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for.”
Atiku also reflected on the sacrifices made for democracy during the June 12 struggle, highlighting his own decision to step aside for the late MKO Abiola, and honouring the memories of democratic heroes like Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and Alfred Rewane.
He declared that Nigeria has once again reached a critical crossroads—and called on opposition forces to unite, not for power, but to rescue the soul of the nation.
“This is not just a political contest; it is a moral crusade,” he said, urging Nigerians to rally in defence of democracy, justice, and national dignity.
Atiku concluded with a solemn reminder, saying, “As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on, not just as memory, but as movement.”
