By John Ogunsemore
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Government have abandoned governance and embarked on a mission of conquest.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said this in a statement he released to commemorate Democracy Day on Thursday.
He said, “The gains of June 12 were hard-won. But sadly, the democratic promise that blossomed in 1999 is being steadily dismantled before our very eyes.
“Today, Nigeria teeters on the edge of a dangerous precipice—a creeping one-party dictatorship is replacing the democratic order we bled for. Those who laid down their lives did not do so for Nigerians to groan under the yoke of authoritarianism and economic suffocation.
“The ruling party and its federal government now govern with the unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence.
“Their tactics are not subtle. Opposition voices are being systematically erased. Contracts for multi-billion-naira infrastructure are funnelled to cronies and family associates of the president.
“National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate.
“What we are witnessing is not governance, it is conquest.”
Atiku paid tributes to the heroes of the June 12 struggle and others who stood against the elongation of military rule.
Reflecting on the June 12 struggle, the ex-VP said, “The political class made painful compromises, but it was the Nigerian people who bore the heaviest burden”.
He noted that Nigerians yearned for a new democratic order, and many paid dearly for it.
“I, too, made my fair share of sacrifices, most notably setting aside my own presidential ambition in deference to the late Chief MKO Abiola, a gesture made in faith and fidelity to a higher national cause.
“But others gave far more. The late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Alfred Rewane; these brave souls gave their lives in pursuit of a freer Nigeria.
“Their memories are etched into our national conscience and must never be forgotten.”
However, Atiku reiterated that the APC-led FG has reversed the gains made.
“This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponised.
“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. And make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for,” he stated.
Atiku added that the nation is again at a historic threshold and must choose either the path of democratic renewal or the dark alley of despotism.