Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of executing a calculated plot to stifle opposition voices and transition Nigeria into a one-party state, Peak Newspaper reports.
In a strongly-worded statement issued on Saturday, June 27, 2026, by his media office and circulated by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku condemned an alleged attempt by the administration to use judicial means to deregister a major opposition party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The former Vice President warned that using the courts as a weapon to restrict political competition or limit choices for the electorate ahead of the 2027 general election represents an existential threat to national stability and democratic governance.
Atiku asserted that the latest legal assault on the NDC aligns with a broader pattern of anti-democratic signals emerging from the current administration, claiming the president’s pro-democracy rhetoric contradicts the actions of his political agents.
“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 declared. “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 opposition leader challenged President Tinubu to emulate his predecessors, former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan. He noted that despite facing incredibly fierce political competition, neither administration weaponized regulatory or judicial mechanisms to systematically deregister opposition platforms.
A government that is genuinely popular and confident in the efficacy of its socio-economic policies, Atiku argued, should have no reason to harbor anxiety regarding transparent electoral competition. He further accused the President of completely betraying the progressive ideals he championed during the pro-democracy struggle against military dictatorship in the 1990s.
Transitioning his focus to the legal system, Atiku issued an urgent appeal to members of the bench, imploring them to maintain institutional neutrality and fiercely resist executive intimidation.
While acknowledging that the country still boasts many highly principled jurists, the former Vice President cautioned that the systemic image of the judiciary is being heavily compromised by a few compromised officers willing to act as partisan instruments.
“Governments will come and go. Hence, the judiciary must guard her integrity as the last hope of the masses,” Atiku stated. “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.”
The growing friction over the court ruling targeting the NDC has intensified political debates across Abuja, with civil society coalitions and the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) similarly warning that weakening key opposition structures risks derailing the credibility of the 2027 electoral cycle.
