By Desire Emmanuel
Former Vice President Atiku and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday, June 27, described the attempt to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as evidence of the determination of President Bola Tinubu to impose a one-party state in Nigeria.
Atiku stated this in a statement by its media office while reacting to the development, saying that he was not surprised by the disturbing situation.
He said the situation may have grave consequences if the sinister plot to weaken opposition parties in order to help Tinubu have his way in the 2027 election comes to fruition.
According to Atiku, the 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.
The ADC presidential candidate said: “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.”
Atiku, the Waziri of Adamawa, urged Tinubu to borrow a leaf from the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who despite being a retired military officer turned politician, never deregistered any opposition party. same for former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lived by a non-violent mantra that political ambition should not be worth the blood of any citizen.
“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 told Tinubu.
“Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for.
“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 added.
The former vice president also advised judges “to resist being used by dishonorable politicians who are bent on destroying the hard-earned democracy in the country.
“Governments will come and go. Hence, the judiciary must guard its integrity as the last hope of the masses. Don’t allow unscrupulous politicians to stain your reputation for their own short-term gain at the expense of justice.
“The judiciary is the last hope of the people. Let’s avoid anything that is capable of ruining the credibility and reputation of our courts; not for a messy pot of pottage or love of lucre.
“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,” Atiku said.
