The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat, describing them as alarmist and ironic.
Abubakar, by means of his spokesman Paul Ibe on Tuesday, accused the Tinubu administration of intentionally weakening opposition events and shrinking Nigeria’s democratic house, warning that this might lead to a de facto one-party state.
He additionally alleged that Nigerians have endured almost three years of extreme financial hardship under the Tinubu-led authorities, alongside insurance policies and actions that, in his view, undermine democratic values.
In response, Lagos State APC spokesman Seye Oladejo, in a press release on Thursday, stated the previous vice chairman and his African Democratic Congress, ADC, get together have been “afraid of their very own shadows.”
He careworn that democratic establishments have been functioning usually under President Tinubu and urged the opposition to cease in search of relevance by predicting the collapse of a democracy that has continued to mature regardless of their “fixed doomsday prophecies.”
“Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat; what’s under threat is the opposition’s fading relevance,” Oladejo stated. “Since Could 29, 2023, democratic establishments have functioned as designed.”
“Elections have been performed, courts have adjudicated disputes, the legislature has exercised oversight, and residents proceed to take pleasure in constitutionally assured freedoms.”
“The opposition has spoken freely, protested freely, and litigated freely hardly the indicators of a democracy under siege.”
Oladejo additional argued that the ADC is more and more weak due to inner contradictions and “inherent deceit.”
He described the coalition as a fragile group whose main ambition is the presidency, with leaders nursing personal entitlement whereas threatening upheaval ought to their ambitions be denied.
“No political home constructed on sand can face up to the inevitable inner whirlwind that follows unchecked ambition with out ideology,” he stated.
“It’s disingenuous to blame the ruling get together for the seen desperation of ADC leaders, who already see the forthcoming elections as their final likelihood on the nationwide stage.”
He emphasised that profitable and dropping are inseparable components of the democratic course of and that democracy does not collapse just because private ambitions are annoyed.
In accordance to Oladejo, the ADC coalition “seems to have its expiry date engraved upon it. Longevity, sadly, does not appear to be its portion.”
“What we’re witnessing is not the defence of democracy, however the final convulsion of a political association held collectively by worry, impatience, and the fading relevance of its main figures.”
He affirmed the resilience of Nigeria’s democracy under President Bola Tinubu, highlighting that ongoing reforms, although demanding, are rooted within the structure, rule of regulation, and democratic accountability ideas that can not be undone by those that have misplaced the arrogance of Nigerians.
“We due to this fact advise Atiku Abubakar and his new political companions to confront actuality truthfully. Nigeria is not afraid.”
“Democracy is not collapsing. It is just the opposition that’s frightened by its personal shadow and the unmistakable actuality that Nigerians have moved on,” Oladejo stated.
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