Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm that President Bola Tinubu was focused on either having his way in the 2027 presidential election or destroying Nigeria’s democracy.
Atiku raised the alarm while reacting to what he described as the authoritarian action of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nysom Wike, in denying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) access to a public event centre in Abuja for the affirmation of its presidential candidate.
The ADC presidential flagbearer said in a statement signed by his Media Office yesterday that the action of the minister to repress the PDP was reprehensible and a further manifestation of Tinubu’s tactic to frustrate political opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.
“The action of Minister Wike to deny the PDP the opportunity from holding an event in line with its constitutional rights, represents a blatant abuse of the party’s rights and an unacceptable infringement on the freedom of association and peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Private and public facilities in the Federal Capital Territory or indeed anywhere in the country exist to serve all Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliation. The minister’s refusal to allow a legitimate political activity to hold in such a venue is not only discriminatory but also a clear demonstration of partisan interference by the Tinubu’s administration.
“We have seen a pattern of political interference through public institutions aimed at weakening opposition parties under the current administration.
“We have also seen, by the case under reference with the PDP, ditto the ADC during its national convention held in April, that the Tinubu government is literally pushing political opposition out of space.
“It was under the same leadership of Wike in the FCT that a sponsored faction of the ADC had a public event a few days ago with no one threatening them.
“This sets a dangerous precedent that undermines Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the integrity of our elections.
“This high-handed action is consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s emerging pattern of deploying state institutions and resources to frustrate political opposition and weaken the democratic process in the build-up to the 2027 presidential election.
“By weaponizing the FCT administration against opposition parties, the Tinubu’s administration is revealing its intolerance for political pluralism and its determination to create an uneven playing field that favours only the ruling party and its cohorts,” the statement said.
Atiku, who described himself as a firm believer in democratic values and the right of every Nigerian to freely associate and express political choices, stated that he viewed Wike’s action as part of a broader strategy to stifle dissent and rig the political environment in favour of the ruling party.
According to the statement, “Tinubu is a steamroller of impunity who is shamelessly determined to destroy everything our democracy stands for.
“The Tinubu government is afraid of free and fair elections and their tactics to suppress the opposition will not succeed.
“Nigerians are resolute in their demand for genuine democracy, accountability, and leadership that respects the constitution rather than subverting it.”
“We call on the Minister of the FCT to immediately stop this unconstitutional action and grant all opposition parties unfettered access to public and private facilities for their legitimate political activities.
“We equally urge all democratic stakeholders, civil society organizations, and well-meaning Nigerians to rise against this creeping authoritarianism before it further erodes the foundations of our republic.”
