Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being desperate to cling to power by any means necessary.
In response to the recent political turmoil in Osun State and the security forces’ invasion of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Atiku charged that the Tinubu-led government is undermining democracy through violence and intimidation.
In a statement he personally signed, the former Vice President urged Nigerians to resist any efforts to erode democratic values.
He said “Recent events have shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law, as the Tinubu-led APC demonstrated the extreme lengths to which it will go to maintain power, resorting to political violence and undermining democracy.”
“At the Osun State local government elections, the APC instigated violence, deploying armed thugs and mercenaries to seize control. However, the party’s national leadership and the presidency chose to remain silent, complicit in the violence.”
“Atiku went on to praise the people of Osun, saying that if not for their brave resistance, democracy in the state would have been overrun by political forces working on the orders of the APC.”
“Osun will never succumb to anti-democratic forces. The people have proven they will defend their electoral rights, regardless of the intimidation they face,” he added.
Atiku also called on security agencies to remain impartial and fulfill their responsibility to protect the integrity of the democratic process during elections.
He further criticized the APC for forsaking democratic legitimacy in favor of brute force, emphasizing that Nigerians must stay alert to any attempts to dismantle democracy.
“President Tinubu and his dwindling supporters must cease their reckless sabotage of politics, not just in Osun and Lagos but across the nation. The people demand good governance, not chaos. Nigerians will not remain silent while their democracy is hijacked by a regime determined to hold on to power at any cost. Enough is enough.”
