The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the general elections of 2023, Atiku Abubakar, has charged that the current All Progressives Congress (APC) is trying to weaken Nigerian democracy by pursuing a “snatch, grab and run” policy.
Atiku voiced worry that the ruling party’s policies are counter to democratic values, which call for tolerance of opposition and dissenting opinions, through his media adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe.
According to Atiku’s statement, a system must accept dissent and divergent viewpoints in order to be viewed as really democratic. He went on to add that the ideal definition of democracy is not limited to a representative government but rather is fundamentally anchored in the variety of ideas.
In his claim that opposition parties are being systematically marginalised through electoral processes and post-election court proceedings where the judiciary appears to be favouring the APC, the former vice president cited instances of what he views as a narrowing engagement of opposition by the ruling party.
In order to demonstrate a pattern where the courts supposedly provide what the ruling party failed to provide on election day, he emphasised contentious court rulings in opposition-controlled states including Nasarawa, Kano, Zamfara, and Plateau.
Atiku claims that these incidents are concerning signals that imply a breach in Nigeria’s democracy as well as a test of confidence in the legal and electoral processes.
These are worrying indicators that raise doubts about our democracy and jeopardise not only our confidence in the legal and electoral processes.
Furthermore, it is unequivocally evident that the ruling party will not let up on its despicable “snatch, grab, and run away with power” philosophy.
“What is even more concerning is that the Plateau gubernatorial election petition is a realisation of the threat made by an APC lawmaker in a widely shared video: the ruling party will subvert the legal system to secure its eventual legal win.
As a result, it indicates that these are definitely dark times, and that it will take time to free our democracy from the grasping hands of these renegade power brokers.
“It also means that all decent-hearted men and women ought to unite for this shared national objective.” he stated.
In Lagos State, where Bola Tinubu is regarded as a political heavyweight, the remark also alluded to the purported suppression of opposition.
However, what is happening does not surprise us. Opposition became unthinkable in Lagos State, where Tinubu is revered as a godfather.
“His party forced everyone to join, even the judges. The few opposition candidates who were successful in winning seats were battered into submission. This was seen in the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2018, when the lone PDP candidate was suspended and arrested for running a gun, only to have the charges against him suddenly dismissed as soon as he joined the APC.
Less than a day after the opposition senator from Anambra State switched to the ruling party, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) recently withdrew a N135 billion lawsuit against him.
“Bola Tinubu has used these rudimentary tactics to thin out the opposition and strengthen his hold on power.
Is it not odd that all of the Plateau State election petition cases considered by the Court of Appeal were heard by the same panel?
“Why is it that the courts ordered the APC to be declared the winner in election cases where the PDP came in first and the APC came in second, but they ordered a rerun to give the APC a chance to win in cases where the PDP came in first and the Labour Party came in second?”
