Nigeria’s Democracy Not Under Any Threat – APC to Atiku

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat, describing them as alarmist and ironic.

Abubakar, through his spokesman Paul Ibe on Tuesday, accused the Tinubu administration of deliberately weakening opposition parties and shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space, warning that this could lead to a de facto one-party state.

He also alleged that Nigerians have endured nearly three years of severe economic hardship under the Tinubu-led government, alongside policies and actions that, in his view, undermine democratic values.

In response, Lagos State APC spokesman Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Thursday, said the former vice president and his African Democratic Congress, ADC, party were “afraid of their own shadows.”

He stressed that democratic institutions were functioning normally under President Tinubu and urged the opposition to stop seeking relevance by predicting the collapse of a democracy that has continued to mature despite their “constant doomsday prophecies.”

“Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat; what is under threat is the opposition’s fading relevance,” Oladejo said. “Since May 29, 2023, democratic institutions have functioned as designed.”

“Elections have been conducted, courts have adjudicated disputes, the legislature has exercised oversight, and citizens continue to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.”

“The opposition has spoken freely, protested freely, and litigated freely hardly the signs of a democracy under siege.”

Oladejo further argued that the ADC is increasingly vulnerable due to internal contradictions and “inherent deceit.”

He described the coalition as a fragile group whose primary ambition is the presidency, with leaders nursing private entitlement while threatening upheaval should their ambitions be denied.

“No political house built on sand can withstand the inevitable internal whirlwind that follows unchecked ambition without ideology,” he said.

“It is disingenuous to blame the ruling party for the visible desperation of ADC leaders, who already see the forthcoming elections as their last chance on the national stage.”

He emphasized that winning and losing are inseparable parts of the democratic process and that democracy does not collapse simply because personal ambitions are frustrated.

According to Oladejo, the ADC coalition “appears to have its expiry date engraved upon it. Longevity, sadly, does not seem to be its portion.”

“What we are witnessing is not the defence of democracy, but the last convulsion of a political arrangement held together by fear, impatience, and the fading relevance of its leading figures.”

He affirmed the resilience of Nigeria’s democracy under President Bola Tinubu, highlighting that ongoing reforms, though demanding, are rooted in the constitution, rule of law, and democratic accountability principles that cannot be undone by those who have lost the confidence of Nigerians.

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“We therefore advise Atiku Abubakar and his new political companions to confront reality honestly. Nigeria is not afraid.”

“Democracy is not collapsing. It is only the opposition that is frightened by its own shadow and the unmistakable reality that Nigerians have moved on,” Oladejo said.