“This Is Not Governance, It Is Conquest”: Atiku Launches Blistering Attack on Tinubu’s Leadership

 

Atiku Raises Alarm Over Threats to Democracy, Accuses Tinubu of Authoritarian Rule

Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has delivered a scathing critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, warning that the democratic foundations laid by the historic June 12, 1993, election are being systematically dismantled. Marking this year’s Democracy Day with a hard-hitting statement, the 2023 presidential flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised serious concerns over the direction the nation is headed under Tinubu’s leadership.

Describing the current administration as oppressive and intent on consolidating power rather than serving the public good, Atiku alleged that Nigeria is now ruled by a government more interested in subduing dissent than advancing democratic governance. He accused President Tinubu of weaponizing state institutions to silence opposition voices while turning governance into a system of conquest and control.

The statement was as symbolic as it was defiant, echoing the spirit of June 12—a date etched in Nigerian history as the day the will of the people was denied, and also a rallying cry for democracy advocates over the years. Atiku invoked the memory of the late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election, and referenced other fallen heroes like Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and Alfred Rewane, stating that their sacrifices are being dishonoured.

While reflecting on his personal role in the democratic struggle—particularly his decision to step aside for Abiola during the 1993 election cycle—Atiku lamented what he described as the tragic irony of current democratic backsliding under one of June 12’s most prominent beneficiaries.

“This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey,” he declared, pointing fingers at what he called the deliberate erosion of civil liberties and institutional integrity. “Policies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The common Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort.”

Citing the alleged allocation of multi-billion naira infrastructure contracts to President Tinubu’s cronies and family members, Atiku condemned the administration’s apparent disdain for transparency and accountability. He also took exception to the renaming of national institutions after Tinubu, calling it an abuse of power and a symbolic erasure of collective national identity.

“What we are witnessing is not governance—it is conquest,” Atiku said in stark terms. “Opposition voices are being systematically erased. National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate.”

Atiku’s Democracy Day address did not merely dwell on criticism; it was also a clarion call to action. He urged Nigerians across all divides to rise in defence of the country’s democratic ethos, insisting that the moment demands moral courage and collective resolve.

“This is not just a political contest; it is a moral crusade,” he asserted. “As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on—not just as memory, but as movement.”

This bold statement comes amid rising tensions over economic hardship, perceived suppression of dissenting voices, and a general sense of disenchantment among Nigerians regarding the pace and direction of governance since Tinubu assumed office in 2023. Analysts have pointed out that Atiku’s remarks may further polarize political discourse but could also reinvigorate public demand for reform and accountability.

Civil society organizations and political observers will be closely watching the fallout from Atiku’s remarks, as they could signal a renewed opposition strategy ahead of future electoral cycles. Meanwhile, the presidency is yet to issue an official response to the barrage of allegations.

With the spirit of June 12 still lingering in the nation’s political consciousness, the former vice president’s intervention may prove to be more than a symbolic gesture. It is a sharp reminder of the fragility of democracy and the vigilance required to preserve it in the face of authoritarian drift.

Atiku’s message, punctuated by moral urgency and a deep sense of national loss, challenges not just the ruling party but all Nigerians to reconsider the values they wish their democracy to uphold.