Tensions between political parties in Nigeria were exacerbated on Saturday with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “follow in the footsteps of Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan, two of the Presidents in Nigeria’s democratic history who never tried to silence opposition parties”.
The Atiku Media Office in Abuja had responded to the prosecution seeking to disenfranchise the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in its statement saying: “Every effort currently being made to inwardly emasculate an opposition party by involving courts or politics will undermine democratic principles and affect national stability.”
He contended that a democratic system flourishes on a viable political opposition, not on the silencing of opposition.
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Even with the big opposition political opposition, Atiku said none of the two administrations of yesteryear, then Presidents Goodluck Jonathan or the late President Muhammadu Buhari tried to deregister opposition party in Nigeria.
He believed President Tinubu should learn from him, saying that governments must be gotten through public confidence and performances rather than through limiting the political discourse of other political parties compete.
The former Presidential candidate added that the present administration would not have any reason to worry about the fact that the economy and government of the country have not improved the lives of Nigerians, if the government thinks the economy and government in the country have not improved.
He argued that political exclusion or the destabilisation of opposition parties can only reduce people’s perception of the democratic process of government in Nigeria.
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Part of Atiku’s remark on the judiciary, which he referred to as the “final safeguard of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.
He called on the judges to avoid taking up the role of party machines or succumbing to the pressure due to political circumstances of the time and cautioned that rulings that appear political could tarnish the image of the judiciary and ensure public confidence in the electoral process.
The comments follow major discussions and coalition negotiations by political parties as they aim to position themselves for the 2027 general elections.
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Appeals by the government to curtail opposition national parties have been a common issue between the incumbent and the opposition, with both parties interpreting the development as a refreshing measure of Nigeria’s strength in democracy.
