Atiku accuses Tinubu administration of silencing opposition with detention

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of suppressing dissent and systematically dismantling opposition voices in Nigeria.

In a strongly worded statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Abubakar condemned the recent arrests of Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Professor Usman Yusuf, a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

According to Abubakar, these arrests are part of a broader crackdown on critics of the government.

“When I made the clarion call that Tinubu and the APC were devoting their energies to the systematic harassment, intimidation, and dismantling of the opposition, all in service of their grand design for a one-party autocracy, I became the target of vicious attacks,” he wrote.

He described Sowore’s arrest and prosecution as the latest in an “unrelenting campaign” against political adversaries, adding that Yusuf has now been added to what he called the administration’s “grim roster” of detained critics.

“At the pace they are going, it seems they may soon find themselves contending with the incarceration of every one of us,” Abubakar warned.

In recent weeks, Abubakar has repeatedly raised concerns over attacks on opposition figures, the media, and civil society organizations (CSOs), warning that the suppression of dissent under Tinubu’s government is worse than what transpired during Nigeria’s military rule.

Speaking at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria on Monday, the former vice president emphasized the urgent need for judicial reforms to curb what he described as “judicial recklessness.”

“In less than 20 years, the Nigerian judiciary has moved from being the beacon of democratic sustenance to becoming, arguably, the biggest threat to Nigeria’s democracy,” he stated.