Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns about Nigeria’s democratic health following the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, pointing to the record-low voter turnout as evidence of declining public confidence.
In a statement from his media office on Sunday, Atiku, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the poor turnout was not accidental but the result of a political climate marked by intimidation and suppression of opposition voices.
“The turnout, which averaged below 20 per cent, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council recording a shocking 7.8 per cent, is a damning verdict on the health of Nigeria’s democracy under the current administration,” he said.
The elections saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) win chairmanship positions in five councils, Kuje, Bwari, Kwali, Abaji, and Abuja Municipal, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured Gwagwalada.
Atiku alleged that the APC-led government has deliberately narrowed the democratic space by targeting dissenters and weakening opposition voices.
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die. 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,” he warned.
He further argued that democracy without vibrant opposition and free competition is hollow:
“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.”
Atiku urged opposition parties and democratic forces to unite against what he described as creeping authoritarianism.
“This is no longer about party lines; it is about preserving the Republic. The time to stand together to rescue and rebuild Nigeria is now,” he declared.
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