The former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, of desperation to retain power.
Atiku said the Tinubu-led APC is desperate to retain power at all costs through political brigandage and subversion of Nigerian democracy.
He was reacting to the local government crisis in Osun State that led to the death of one person and the invasion of the Lagos State House of Assembly by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, and the police.
In a statement he signed, the former Vice President charged Nigerians to stop Tinubu and his government from subverting democracy.
According to Atiku: “Nigerians bore witness to a chilling display of lawlessness yesterday, as the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, exposed the depths of its desperation to retain power at all costs — through sheer political brigandage and the subversion of democracy.
“In Osun State, the APC orchestrated a full-scale assault on the democratic process, attempting to hijack the local government elections through brute force. Armed thugs and mercenaries, operating under the party’s protection, launched an audacious bid to seize control of all 30 local government area council secretariats. And yet, the so-called national leadership of the APC and the presidency watched in complicit silence.
“Had it not been for the fearless resistance of the Osun people — who stood their ground against the APC’s rampaging foot soldiers — democracy in the state would have been trampled under the boots of political marauders acting at the behest of their party’s overlords.
“Let this be clear: Osun State will never bow to anti-democratic forces. The people have shown beyond doubt that they will not allow their electoral rights to be stolen, no matter the level of intimidation.
“We demand that security agencies deployed for Saturday’s elections uphold their constitutional duty with professionalism, refusing to be used as enforcers of the APC’s criminal agenda. The world is watching.
“These are dangerous times. The APC has abandoned any pretense of democratic legitimacy, resorting instead to brute force in its bid to cling to power — even as the people have overwhelmingly rejected it.
“We commend the brave citizens of Osun for standing up to the tyranny that sought to break them. Their resilience is a beacon of hope in the face of unrelenting oppression.
“Tinubu’s APC has left no doubt — it will stop at nothing to subvert democracy and impose itself against the will of the people. But Nigerians must resist. The time-honored warning remains true: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
“President Bola A. Tinubu, @officialABAT, and his dwindling band of enablers must cease their reckless acts of political sabotage, not just in Osun or Lagos, but across Nigeria. The people demand governance, not chaos. Nigerians will not sit idly while their democracy is hijacked by a power-drunk regime intent on setting the country on fire. Enough is enough. -AA”
