Tinubu govt incarcerating critics – Atiku

• Atiku Abubakar condemns the arrests of Omoyele Sowore and Usman Yusuf, labeling them as attempts to suppress opposition voices in Nigeria
• He calls for judicial reforms, criticizing the judiciary for becoming a threat to democracy under Tinubu’s administration and its oppressive tactics

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of suppressing critics.

Atiku made this statement in response to the arrests of Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Usman Yusuf, a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He described the arrests as attempts to silence the opposition in Nigeria.

Speaking at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday, Atiku emphasized the need for judicial reform to curb what he termed “judicial recklessness.”

Atiku stated, “When I made the clarion call that Tinubu and the APC were devoting their energies to the systematic harassment, intimidation, and dismantling of the opposition, all in service of their grand design for a one-party autocracy, I became the target of vicious attacks.

“The arrest and baseless prosecution of Omoyele Sowore is the latest chapter in this unrelenting campaign.

“Now, they have seen fit to add Professor Usman Yusuf — an outspoken critic of this administration — into their grim roster.

“At the pace they are going, it seems they may soon find themselves contending with the incarceration of every one of us.

“In less than 20 years, the Nigerian judiciary has moved from being the beacon of democratic sustenance to becoming, arguably, the biggest threat to Nigeria’s democracy.”