Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised alarm over what he describes as a systematic crackdown on opposition figures by the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Atiku’s warning comes in the wake of the arrest and prosecution of opposition voices, including activist Omoyele Sowore and Professor Usman Yusuf, a vocal critic of the government.
In a post on X on Thursday, Atiku expressed concern that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is bent on dismantling democratic opposition and establishing a one-party state.
“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,” Atiku wrote.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election decried what he termed a targeted campaign of harassment against critics of the government, citing the recent arrest and prosecution of Sowore and the addition of Professor Yusuf to what he called a “grim roster” of opposition figures under fire.
“At the pace they are going, it seems they may soon find themselves contending with the incarceration of every one of us,” he warned.
The Tinubu administration has faced criticism from the opposition over its handling of dissenting voices, with activists and political analysts warning that such actions could erode public trust and undermine democratic institutions.
However, the presidency and the APC have previously dismissed similar claims as baseless and politically motivated.
