On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar criticized President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he described as desperate efforts to retain power at all costs.
Atiku accused the Tinubu-led APC of engaging in political brigandage and undermining Nigeria’s democracy. His remarks came in response to the violence in Osun State during local government elections, which resulted in one death, as well as 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, Atiku called on Nigerians to stand firm against the government’s attempts to subvert democracy. He said, “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.”
Atiku accused the APC of trying to hijack the local government elections in Osun State through violent means. “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,” he said, adding that the national leadership of the APC and the presidency remained silent during the crisis.
He commended the people of Osun for their resistance, stating that their determination prevented the APC from undermining democracy in the state. “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,” Atiku remarked.
The PDP leader emphasized that Osun State would not submit to anti-democratic forces and called on security agencies to act professionally in future elections. He warned against allowing security forces to be used to further the APC’s agenda, stressing, “The world is watching.”
Atiku concluded by urging Nigerians to resist the government’s attempts to undermine democracy, adding that President Tinubu and his supporters must cease their acts of political sabotage across the country. “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,” he said.
