- Atiku alleged that the presidency and the leadership of the ruling party watched the chaos in “in complicit silence”.
- The opposition leader urged security agencies deployed for the coming elections to uphold their constitutional duty with professionalism .
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has attributed the unrest in Osun state to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There were reports of about five lives lost on Monday when clashes erupted between APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters.
The violence stemmed from the attempted return of sacked APC LG chairpersons, who claimed a court order had reinstated them.
The Osun state national assembly caucus and Governor Ademola Adeleke have accused Minister Gboyega Oyetola and the APC of backing the reinstatement of the sacked LG chairpersons.
In a post on X, Atiku cautioned the APC against using violence to gain power on Tuesday. “In Osun state, the APC orchestrated a full-scale assault on the democratic process, attempting to hijack the local government elections through brute force.”
He emphasized that armed thugs, operating under the party’s protection, attempted to seize control of local government secretariats.
Atiku commended the Osun people’s bravery, stating, “Had it not been for their fearless resistance, democracy in the state would have been crushed by political marauders.”
He urged security agencies to uphold the rule of law in the LG elections scheduled for February 22.
Atiku called for professionalism, saying, “We demand that security agencies refuse to be used as enforcers of APC’s criminal agenda.
“The world is watching.” He warned that the APC has abandoned democratic legitimacy, resorting to brute force to cling to power despite the people’s rejection.
He added that Nigerians witnessed a disturbing display of lawlessness as the Tinubu-led APC revealed its desperation to retain power at all costs through political brigandage and democratic subversion.
Nigerians bore witness to a chilling display of lawlessness yesterday, as the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) exposed the depths of its desperation to retain power at all costs — through sheer political brigandage and the subversion of democracy.
In Osun State, the…
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) February 18, 2025