Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to allow free and fair political competition, saying a government that enjoys genuine public support should have nothing to fear from credible elections.
Atiku made the remark in a statement issued on Saturday by his media office while reacting to what he described as an alleged attempt to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) through the courts.
The statement, signed by the Atiku Media Office and shared on X by his aide, Paul Ibe, accused the Tinubu administration of seeking to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to Atiku, any move to limit political competition or reduce voters’ choices poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
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“Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but his body language and the sinister activities of his agents contradict his mouthed commitment to free and fair elections,” he said.
Warning against efforts to suppress opposition parties, the former vice president said such actions could destabilise the country.
“Participation of citizens in a free, fair and credible poll is the soul of democracy, and any attempt to stifle such freedom of choice could be a trigger to chaos and anarchy,” he stated.
Atiku urged Tinubu to emulate former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan, noting that neither administration attempted to deregister opposition parties despite fierce political contests.
He argued that any government confident in its achievements should welcome electoral competition.
“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” Atiku said.
He also accused Tinubu of abandoning the democratic ideals he championed during Nigeria’s military era
“Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for,” he said.
“You can’t attempt to rule the people against their will and still pretend that you’re committed to free and fair elections in 2027.”
Atiku further called on the judiciary to resist political pressure and safeguard its independence.
“Governments will come and go. Hence, the judiciary must guard her integrity as the last hope of the masses,” he said.
While acknowledging the integrity of many judges, he warned that the conduct of a few judicial officers could erode public confidence in the justice system.
“There are great judges in Nigeria, but the unchecked excesses of some who allow themselves to become judicial swords on the hands of politicians are capable of damaging the larger image of the judiciary,” he added.
His remarks followed Friday’s ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which set aside the court’s December 10, 2025 judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected because it was not joined in the earlier suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in obtaining the registration order.
It subsequently directed all parties to return to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and ordered a fresh hearing of the substantive case with all necessary parties joined.