Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has issued a stern warning over what he terms a rising wave of repression and muzzling of free speech under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Speaking amid concerns ahead of the 2027 general elections, Atiku cautioned Nigerians about what he described as the Tinubu government’s steady descent into a full-blown dictatorship.
Atiku highlighted a disturbing pattern where dissenting voices, activists, journalists, and peaceful protesters are increasingly targeted under laws like the Cyberstalking Act, which has led to numerous arrests and detentions. He compared the law to colonial-era sedition laws, emphasizing that such attempts to restrict the right to criticize leaders are fundamentally undemocratic and violate human rights.
Criticizing the government’s heavy-handed approach, Atiku accused the administration of using brute force and intimidation rather than dialogue to address citizens’ frustrations with economic hardships, hunger, and despair. He lamented the silence of democratic watchdog institutions such as the judiciary and the legislature, which he believes have become mere rubber stamps for executive excesses.
Atiku’s statement positioned the upcoming 2027 elections as a critical juncture, framing it as a contest between what he called the “Tinubu hegemony” and the collective will of the Nigerian people. He urged Nigerians to resist the creeping culture of fear and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression as a pillar of democracy.
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