Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using state institutions and resources to harass and intimidate members of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku categorically stated that the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, were not only unlawful but also orchestrated by the Tinubu government.

He, however, vowed that such authoritarian tendencies would be resisted to save and protect Nigeria’s democracy.

Naijaonpoint reports that the former Vice President and leader of the opposition coalition made the submission in a statement on Tuesday in which he reacted to the unsealing of the office of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan at the National Assembly.

He vowed to continue to stand against tyranny, adding that everything would be done within the confines of legality to protect Nigeria’s democracy.

He wrote: “It is reassuring that the voice of reason has prevailed at last with the unsealing of the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Though the precious time denied the people of Kogi Central in the Senate can never be reclaimed, this struggle has not been in vain. It has proven, once again, that when we stand together, we can triumph over tyranny.

“The suspension of Governor Simi Fubara and lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the unlawful suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, and the weaponisation of state institutions to harass and intimidate opposition voices are not isolated acts. They are deliberate markers of the Tinubu administration’s strategy as 2027 approaches: to subvert our hard-earned democracy and compromise the will of the people at any cost.

“Let it be clear: on our part, we shall do everything legitimate and within the bounds of the law to protect our democracy, defend the sovereignty of the people’s mandate, and rescue our nation from the grip of authoritarianism.”