…. Says Democratic Gains Of June 12 Being Dismantled

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of orchestrating a dangerous slide toward one-party dictatorship in Nigeria.

Atiku stated this on Thursday in a statement to commemorate Democracy Day, warning that the democratic values fought for by the heroes of the June 12 struggle are under siege.

Speaking against the backdrop of growing political tensions and economic hardship across the country, Atiku said Nigeria now stands at a “historic threshold,” forced to choose between democratic renewal and creeping despotism.

“The gains of June 12 were hard-won. But sadly, the democratic promise that blossomed in 1999 is being steadily dismantled before our very eyes,” Atiku said.

Drawing from his personal sacrifices during the pro-democracy struggle of the early 1990s, Atiku recalled stepping aside for the late Chief MKO Abiola in the 1993 presidential election and paid tribute to key figures such as Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and Alfred Rewane, who lost their lives in the quest for democracy.

“These brave souls gave their lives in pursuit of a freer Nigeria. Their memories are etched into our national conscience and must never be forgotten,” he said.

Atiku condemned what he described as the Tinubu administration’s “unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence” dissenting voices, accusing the government of using national institutions as political tools and manipulating state resources for personal gain.

“What we are witnessing is not governance, it is conquest,” he stated. “Opposition voices are being systematically erased. Contracts for multi-billion-naira infrastructure are funnelled to cronies and family associates of the president.”

The former Vice President also took aim at what he termed “the weaponization of institutions” and the renaming of national assets in honour of a sitting president, calling it a brazen attempt to privatize the state.

“National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate,” Atiku lamented.

He described the Tinubu-led administration as presiding over the “lowest ebb in our democratic journey,” and urged Nigerians to rise in defence of democracy.

According to him, the ongoing efforts to build a united opposition coalition are not just political manoeuvres but a moral crusade.

“This is not just a political contest; it is a moral crusade. A struggle to liberate our economy, our democracy, and our dignity from the grip of authoritarian forces,” he declared.

“As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on—not just as memory, but as movement. The time to rise is now.”