Former Vice President of Nigeria and leading voice in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has sounded a dire warning: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is actively dismantling democracy and pushing Nigeria toward full-blown authoritarian rule, with dangerous implications for the entire West African subregion.
In a blistering condemnation on Monday, Atiku reacted to what he described as a state-sponsored siege by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the residences and businesses of former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami—an action he called lawless, vindictive, and politically motivated.
According to Atiku’s media office, the DSS swooped in to seal Malami’s properties shortly after his visit—despite the matter being before the courts.
“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponizing state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared.
He warned that Nigeria is witnessing the rapid erosion of democratic norms under Tinubu, with state institutions now reduced to tools of political persecution.
“What we are seeing is the naked abuse of power—security agencies deployed not for national security, but for settling political scores. This is how democracies die,” he said.
Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of running a deliberate and coordinated campaign to crush opposition voices and impose total political control ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Let it be said clearly: this government is terrified of competition. That is why it is resorting to brute force—harassing, intimidating, and attempting to break opposition leaders into submission,” he stated.
He further alleged that the sustained targeting of figures like Nasir el-Rufai and Abubakar Malami is part of a broader strategy to coerce them into abandoning opposition politics and falling in line with the ruling APC.
“This is political extortion at the highest level—join us or be destroyed. That is the message being sent,” Atiku said.