Rita Odafe
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised serious accusations against President Bola Tinubu.
He claimed that Tinubu is undermining the democracy that was painstakingly established following the significant June 12, 1993 election.
In a pointed message on Democracy Day this past Thursday, Atiku characterized Tinubu’s administration as one aiming to suppress and silence the populace.
Atiku criticized Tinubu for granting substantial contracts to friends and relatives, noting his disapproval of renaming national institutions after the current president, as if the nation were a personal property.
The 2023 presidential nominee for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) further contended that Tinubu’s approach focuses on dominance rather than genuine governance, warning that Nigeria is on a precarious brink.
Reflecting on the struggles endured during the June 12 movement, including his choice to withdraw in support of late MKO Abiola, Atiku expressed sorrow that the values for which many, including Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and Alfred Rewane, have died are being compromised.
Atiku called on Nigerians to stand up for democracy, justice, and the nation’s integrity.
He remarked, “The ruling party and its federal government are clearly seeking to overpower, suppress, and silence opposition.”
“Their strategies are glaring. Dissenting voices are being systematically removed. Contracts worth billions are being directed to the president’s friends and family. Institutions, once symbols of togetherness, are being blatantly renamed to honor the sitting president, as if the country were his personal estate. What we are witnessing is not governance, but domination.”
“This government marks a low point in our democratic history. Institutions have been turned into tools of oppression. Policies are created not for the empowerment of citizens but to instill fear, compliance, and control. Ordinary Nigerians have been forsaken for the comfort of the elite. And let there be no confusion: this stands in stark contrast to what June 12 represents.”
“This is more than just political rivalry; it is a quest for moral clarity.”
“As long as oppression prevails, the spirit of June 12 endures, not merely as remembrance but as an ongoing movement.”
