Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm over what he described as the systematic suffocation of democracy in Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, citing the low voter turnout in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections as evidence .
In a statement titled “Democracy Under Siege: Tinubu’s Chokehold Is Suffocating the Republic,” Atiku noted that voter turnout across the six area councils averaged below 20 per cent, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council recording a “shocking” 7.8 per cent participation rate .
Atiku described the poor civic engagement as “a damning verdict on the health of Nigeria’s democracy,” adding that such apathy in the nation’s capital “is not accidental” but rather “the predictable outcome of a political environment poisoned by intolerance, intimidation, and the systematic weakening of opposition voices” .
The former Vice President accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government of pursuing “a deliberate policy of shrinking democratic space, harassing dissenters, coercing defectors, and fostering a climate where alternative political viewpoints are treated as threats rather than contributions to national development” .
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die,” Atiku stated. “What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated slowly, steadily, and dangerously” .
He warned that continued erosion of participatory governance could inflict irreversible damage on democratic institutions, cautioning that “a democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only” .
Atiku called on opposition parties and democratic forces nationwide to unite, declaring: “This is no longer about party lines; it is about preserving the Republic. The time to stand together to rescue and rebuild Nigeria is now” .
Disclaimer: This report is based on statements from Atiku Abubakar’s media office as published by multiple news outlets. CDA News Nigeria does not independently verify political claims made by public figures.
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