Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the low voter turnout in Saturday’s area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a sign of a political environment “poisoned by intolerance, intimidation, and the systematic weakening of opposition voices.”
In a statement issued on Sunday from his Abuja office, Abubakar accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of shrinking the democratic space.
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die,” the statement read.
He added, “What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated slowly, steadily, and dangerously.”
Atiku Decries Declining Participatory Governance
Atiku warned that the steady erosion of participatory governance, if left unchecked, could inflict irreversible damage on the democratic fabric painstakingly built over decades.
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“A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only,” he said. “If this chokehold is not released, history will record this era as the period when our hard-won freedoms were traded for fear and conformity.”
The ADC chieftain urged opposition parties to unite and close ranks as part of efforts to “build” Nigeria.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a dominant victory in the council elections, winning five of the six chairmanship positions, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged victorious in Gwagwalada.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the coalition party of opposition leaders, did not win a single chairmanship seat.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
