The Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that Nigeria’s democracy is under serious threat, accusing the ruling APC government of using state institutions to intimidate and weaken opposition parties ahead of the next general elections.
In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku described his victory as a symbol of internal democracy, insisting that unlike other political parties allegedly battling imposed leadership crises, members of the ADC were allowed to freely contest and express their ambitions.
According to him:
“We demonstrated that while democracy is being strangled and squashed by the ruling party and its oppressive and anti-democratic government, democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress.”
He said the coalition behind the ADC was built through “hard work, immense sacrifices and compromises,” all aimed at rescuing Nigeria’s democracy from what he described as its greatest threat since 1999.
Atiku further accused the APC-led government of allegedly influencing crises within opposition parties through the use of security agencies, INEC and the judiciary. He further claimed that opposition figures were being harassed and intimidated for refusing to align with the ruling party.
In one of the strongest parts of the speech, he referenced the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as politically motivated.
According to him:
“He has been in detention for three months despite court orders granting him bail.”
He also claimed El-Rufai was denied the opportunity to spend important religious celebrations with his family and could not be with his mother before her death because of his position in the opposition.
The ADC flag bearer further accused the government of using anti-corruption agencies as political tools against opponents.
He said:
“Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear.”
The former Vice President warned against any attempt to interfere in the affairs of the ADC, alleging that there were efforts to destabilise or deregister the party despite what he described as thorough due diligence during the coalition process.
He stated firmly:
“Any further attempt to interfere in the affairs of the party by the Presidency, INEC and judiciary will be fiercely resisted. Enough is enough.”
Despite the fiery criticism of the government, the ADC candidate called for unity within the party after the primaries, insisting that no aspirant should feel defeated because the larger battle lies ahead in the general elections.
He said Nigeria was currently facing “economic disaster, catastrophic insecurity, extreme nepotism, political intolerance and the drive towards a one-party state.”
The candidate urged party members and supporters to prepare for what he described as the “real hard work” of campaigning to remove the APC from power and “rescue” Nigerians from hardship.
He also commended the party’s primary election committee, stakeholders, volunteers and supporters for conducting what he called a peaceful, free and transparent process.