Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
- raises alarm over threat to democracy
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that there is a fresh and coordinated plot by elements within the ruling establishment to prevent the ADC from participating in the 2027 general election, warning that such a move would undermine Nigeria’s democracy and deny citizens the right to freely choose their leaders.
Atiku made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, claiming that credible intelligence available to him pointed to renewed political and legal manoeuvres aimed at keeping the opposition party off the ballot ahead of the election.
He alleged that anti-democratic forces within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had intensified efforts to weaken the opposition, insisting that the ADC had become the primary target because of its growing acceptance among Nigerians.
“We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” Atiku said.
He called on Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliation, to defend the country’s democratic process and reject any attempt to determine which opposition parties should be allowed to contest elections.
“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed. If the APC is truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?” he queried.
Although he expressed hope that the alleged plot would not materialise, the former vice president said recent political developments had made it impossible to dismiss the warning.
According to him, the alleged strategy follows a familiar pattern in which institutions expected to remain neutral are drawn into partisan politics through litigation, administrative actions and political pressure.
“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests. Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed.
Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty,” he said.
Atiku further alleged that the opposition had, in recent months, faced sustained attempts to manufacture internal crises, judicial ambushes, administrative harassment and calculated efforts to delegitimise what he described as the country’s fastest-growing political movement.
He accused the Federal Government of prioritising political calculations over governance at a time when Nigerians were grappling with worsening economic hardship, rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment and declining purchasing power.
“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat. At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival,” he stated.
The former vice president maintained that the growing popularity of the ADC should be challenged through the democratic process rather than through what he described as institutional intimidation.
“The proper response to a popular political movement is not suppression. It is to present superior ideas before the electorate. Democracies are won at the ballot box, not in back rooms, not through manipulated court processes, and certainly not through the abuse of state institutions,” he said.
Warning against any attempt to exclude the ADC from the electoral process, Atiku said such an action would amount to one of the gravest threats to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy since the country’s return to civil rule in 1999.
“No administration has the constitutional authority to determine which political party Nigerians are permitted to vote for. Sovereignty belongs to the people—not to those who temporarily wield power. The ballot is sacred, and every attempt to tamper with it is an attack on the Republic itself,” he added.
He also called on the judiciary to remain faithful to its constitutional mandate and resist any external pressure, while urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, civil society organisations, the diplomatic community and other stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
“We are placing Nigerians on notice because democracy flourishes only when citizens refuse to be indifferent. Eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty. Every Nigerian who believes in constitutional rule must pay close attention to unfolding events,” he said.
Reaffirming his confidence in the opposition, Atiku insisted that no amount of intimidation, judicial manipulation or political engineering would weaken the resolve of Nigerians who had embraced the ADC.
“The desire for change cannot be outlawed. Hope cannot be deregistered. Democracy cannot be subverted by administrative fiat. The will of the Nigerian people will prevail over every conspiracy, and history will ultimately judge those who seek to place personal ambition above the survival of our democracy,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency, the APC nor the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had issued an official response to the allegations
The Guardian
