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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Allied Peoples Movement has called on the international community to impose sanctions against government officials and other persons undermining democracy in Nigeria.
The APM, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, implored the international community to take decisive steps to protect the country’s democracy, through possible imposition of diplomatic sanctions including visa bans, “asset freezing and other strong measures against Nigerian officials who are undermining democracy in our country.”
It also called on the media, Civil Society Organizations ( CSOs) as well as opposition parties, to join forces to redeem the country’s from alleged authoritarianism under the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
The opposition party, while referencing a report published on the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) Tyranny Tracker platform, www.tyrannytracker.org, stating that Nigeria is now a full authoritarian state under President Tinubu, said the report confirms its position on the state of affairs in the country.
According to the party, “the report confirms APM’s position that under President Tinubu, Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and democratic institutions have been captured by executive authoritarianism; security, anti-corruption agencies and the courts have also become weapons against opposition parties and dissenting voices with citizens now living in despair and fear of the government in power.
“Beside the continued rampaging of communities by terrorists with over 628,000 Nigerians killed and 2.2 million others abducted under President Tinubu’s watch, HRF Report confirms the use of security agencies to violently subdue citizens with scores killed and hundreds of others beaten, arrested, detained and charged for treason for criticizing the Tinubu administration.
“Today in Nigeria, freedom of expression and the media have been suppressed with about 100 journalists brutalized and detained by authorities for covering pro-democracy protests or critical reporting.”
The APM noted that the present administration, ‘ authorities continue to restrict opposition parties including using security agencies to intimidate, harass, detain and prosecute opposition leaders on trumped-up charges while denying opposition parties access to venues for political mobilization.
” In many APC controlled states, opposition parties are denied access to the media and right to erect campaign billboards. More disturbing is the compromising conducts and activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under a known Tinubu apologist, Prof. Josiah Amupitan, including undue interferences in the internal affairs of opposition parties and refusal to obey court orders favouring such parties.”
Furthermore, it stated that majority of Nigerians have allegedly lost hope in the ability of the electoral umpire, as presently constituted, to conduct credible general elections that will reflect the Will of the people in 2027.
“Equally unsettling is that the APC-led National Assembly has become overtly compromised and now acts as a rubber stamp for authoritarianism against its constitutional mandate to check the excesses of the executive.
“Characteristic of authoritarianism, the Tinubu-led APC administration continues to pile strain on citizens and businesses with asphyxiating economic policies, multiple taxes, indirect levies and condoning of revenue collection harassments” the APM stated.
The opposition party charged Nigerians to use the 2027 general election ” as a decisive opportunity to vote in a truly democratic and people-oriented government on the platform of the APM, in our collective commitment to preserve our democracy and restore our dear nation to the path of Rule of Law, economic prosperity and national stability.”
