Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of sliding the nation into what he described as a climate of fear, repression, and authoritarianism.
In a statement issued on Monday titled “A Nation Gripped in the Throes of Fear,” Atiku warned that the current administration is fast transforming Nigeria into a police state where journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens are being harassed for expressing dissenting opinions.
According to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Tinubu-led government has increasingly resorted to the use of the Cyberstalking Act to target critics and suppress free expression, calling it “a modern tool of tyranny reminiscent of colonial sedition laws.”
“No government, no matter how powerful, is greater than the people,” Atiku declared, adding that the administration’s alleged weaponisation of state institutions to silence opposition and its repeated disobedience of court orders are grave threats to democracy and the rule of law as the 2027 general elections approach.
He lamented that institutions meant to provide oversight and accountability — including the National Assembly and various regulatory bodies — have become submissive and eager to appease those in power rather than hold them to account.
“There is a disturbing and growing pattern by which the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to muzzle free speech and, in so doing, erode the integrity of the democratic ethos that defines our nation,” Atiku said. “If this creeping culture of repression continues unchecked, it will ultimately turn the Federal Government into a bully and make subjects of free citizens.”
The former vice president cited the arrest and detention of journalists, protesters, and activists as evidence of worsening intolerance for opposition voices, noting that the recent #EndBadGovernance and #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protests have been met with excessive state force.
He referenced the arrests of activist Omoyele Sowore, lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, and others, who were recently detained over the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja, describing their continued incarceration despite bail as part of a broader campaign to crush dissent.
“At this rate, this regime may have surpassed all its predecessors in the reckless use of state power to crush public opinion,” he said, warning that Nigeria’s democratic space is shrinking rapidly under Tinubu’s watch.
Atiku also invoked the criticisms of global and local watchdogs such as Amnesty International, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Media Rights Agenda, all of which have recently condemned Nigeria’s worsening human rights record and the harassment of journalists by security agencies.
He argued that while the presidency may appear powerful, history has consistently shown that no regime can outlast the collective will of a determined people.
“As they continue to suffocate dissent, the Tinubu government also attempts to subdue opposition parties and silence every voice of reason,” he said. “The 2027 general election will not be a contest between political parties alone, but between the Tinubu hegemony and the will of the Nigerian people. And history bears witness: no despot, no matter how powerful, has ever triumphed over the collective voice of the people.”
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