The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of acting in ways that contradict the spirit, sacrifices, and legacy of June 12.
In a statement issued on Thursday to mark Democracy Day, the former Vice President called on Nigerians to resist what he described as growing democratic backsliding and the politics of intimidation.
Atiku said citizens must summon the courage of those who fought for democracy, insisting that June 12 should remain a reminder that freedom was earned through sacrifice and must be protected.
He alleged that over the past three years, there had been deliberate efforts to weaken and destabilise opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections through internal party crises, defections, and intimidation.
According to him, key democratic institutions that should serve Nigerians impartially have been turned into tools of political control, used to harass and pressure opposition voices.
“Atiku said institutions that ought to serve the Nigerian people impartially had increasingly been transformed into instruments of partisan warfare,” the statement noted.
He also criticised the Electoral Act 2026, claiming it contains provisions that favour the ruling party while shrinking civic space and limiting freedoms of speech, association, and the press.
The former Vice President, who reflected on his role in the June 12 struggle, said he resisted military rule, faced personal losses, survived an assassination attempt, and went into exile for the sake of democracy.
He recalled that he stepped aside in the 1993 presidential election to allow the late MKO Abiola to emerge as the SDP candidate, describing June 12 as the foundation of Nigeria’s current democratic order.
Atiku warned that Nigeria now faces what he described as a new form of authoritarianism, not through military rule, but through weakened institutions and captured democratic structures.
“The warning signs are everywhere: a shrinking civic space, a compromised electoral environment, intimidation of opposition figures, and the weaponisation of poverty,” he said.
He cautioned that democracy is not permanently secured but must be continually defended, stressing that Nigerians cannot celebrate June 12 while ignoring threats to democratic governance.
Atiku called for collective resistance to what he described as authoritarian tendencies and urged citizens, civil society groups, labour unions, and political actors to defend the country’s democratic institutions.
He further warned that Nigeria risks undermining the gains of democracy if current trends continue unchecked ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The struggle continues. And just as we marched before, we must be prepared to march again,” he said.
