Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised alarm over what he described as a growing wave of repression, intimidation, and erosion of free speech under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In an opinion piece titled “A Nation Gripped in the Throes of Fear,” Atiku accused the government of turning Nigeria into a police state where dissenting voices, including journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens, are harassed and silenced for expressing opposing views.
He decried the use of the Cyberstalking Act to target critics, calling it “a modern tool of tyranny reminiscent of colonial sedition laws,” and stressed that “no government, no matter how powerful, is greater than the people.”
According to Atiku, the Tinubu administration has “weaponized state institutions” to suppress opposition and frequently disobeys court orders, actions he said undermine democracy and the rule of law.
He lamented the growing silence of oversight bodies and the National Assembly, which he accused of being more interested in praising power than holding it accountable.
Describing the forthcoming 2027 general election as “a defining moment between the Tinubu hegemony and the will of the people,”
Atiku urged Nigerians and civil society groups to resist what he called a “creeping culture of fear” and reclaim their democratic rights.
“There is a disturbing pattern by which the Tinubu administration continues to muzzle free speech and, in doing so, erode the integrity of our democracy,” he wrote.
“If this creeping culture of repression goes unchecked, it will turn the Federal Government into a bully and make subjects of free citizens.”
The former vice president condemned the alleged misuse of the Cyberstalking Act, describing it as “a chilling reminder of the sedition laws long discarded by civilized nations.”
He said any legislation that curtails citizens’ right to criticize leaders, whether online, in print, or in speech, is undemocratic and violates fundamental human rights.
Atiku further accused the government of resorting to “brute force and intimidation” in response to public frustration over economic hardship.
He noted that peaceful protesters are often treated as criminals, while journalists and activists are detained for speaking truth to power.
“The Tinubu government’s disregard for the rule of law and its repeated disobedience of court orders have become its most infamous credentials,” Atiku said.
“This regime may have surpassed all its predecessors in the reckless use of state power to crush public opinion.”
He cited reports by Amnesty International, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Media Rights Agenda, which have repeatedly condemned the administration’s human rights record and the harassment of journalists.
Atiku accused the government of attempting to subdue opposition parties and neutralize institutions meant to serve as checks on executive power.
“Even institutions that should act as restraints, the legislature, oversight agencies, and the judiciary, have become mere rubber stamps, with their leaders tripping over themselves to sing the praises of a president few dare to question,” he said.
Concluding his piece, Atiku declared that the 2027 elections would be a defining battle between authoritarian control and the collective will of Nigerians.
“History bears eternal witness to one truth,” he wrote.
“No despot, no matter how powerful, has ever triumphed over the collective voice of a determined people.”
