The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat, describing the allegation as alarmist and ironic.
Atiku, through his spokesman, Paul Ibe, had accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of deliberately weakening opposition parties and shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space, warning that the country was drifting towards a de facto one-party state. He also alleged that Nigerians had endured nearly three years of severe economic hardship under the Tinubu-led government, alongside policies that undermined democratic values.
But, reacting on Thursday, spokesman of Lagos State chapter of APC, Seye Oladejo, said Atiku and his African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition were “afraid of their own shadows.”
He insisted that democratic institutions were functioning normally under President Bola Tinubu, urging the opposition to stop seeking relevance through what he termed “constant doomsday prophecies.”
“Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat; what is under threat is the opposition’s fading relevance,” Oladejo said. “Since May 29, 2023, democratic institutions have functioned as designed.”
According to him, “Elections have been conducted, courts have adjudicated disputes, the legislature has exercised oversight, and citizens continue to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.”
“The opposition has spoken freely, protested freely, and litigated freely, hardly the signs of a democracy under siege,” he added.
Oladejo further described the ADC as a fragile coalition plagued by internal contradictions and “inherent deceit,” driven largely by presidential ambitions rather than ideology.
“No political house built on sand can withstand the inevitable internal whirlwind that follows unchecked ambition without ideology,” he said.
He argued that it was “disingenuous to blame the ruling party for the visible desperation of ADC leaders, who already see the forthcoming elections as their last chance on the national stage.”
Stressing that winning and losing are integral to democracy, Oladejo said democratic governance does not collapse because personal ambitions are frustrated.
According to him, the ADC coalition “appears to have its expiry date engraved upon it. Longevity, sadly, does not seem to be its portion.”
“What we are witnessing is not the defence of democracy, but the last convulsion of a political arrangement held together by fear, impatience, and the fading relevance of its leading figures,” he stated.
He reaffirmed the resilience of Nigeria’s democracy under President Tinubu, noting that ongoing reforms, though demanding, are rooted in the constitution, rule of law, and democratic accountability.
“We therefore advise Atiku Abubakar and his new political companions to confront reality honestly. Nigeria is not afraid,” Oladejo said.
“Democracy is not collapsing. It is only the opposition that is frightened by its own shadow and the unmistakable reality that Nigerians have moved on.”
