The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat, describing the comments as alarmist and ironic.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Tuesday through his spokesman, Paul Ibe, accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of deliberately weakening opposition parties and shrinking the country’s democratic space, warning that such actions could lead to a de facto one-party state.
He also alleged that Nigerians have faced nearly three years of severe economic hardship under the Tinubu-led government, alongside policies and political actions he claimed undermine democratic values.
Reacting to the comments, the Lagos State APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said the former vice president and his party were “afraid of their own shadows.”
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, Oladejo insisted that democratic institutions were functioning normally under President Tinubu’s administration.
He urged the opposition to stop seeking relevance by predicting the collapse of what he described as a maturing democracy.
“Nigeria’s democracy is not under threat; what is under threat is the opposition’s fading relevance,” Oladejo said.
According to him, since May 29, 2023, democratic institutions have operated as designed, with elections conducted, courts adjudicating disputes, the legislature exercising oversight, and citizens continuing to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.
