Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to emulate former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan, stating that neither administration sought to deregister opposition parties despite intense political competition .
Atiku made the call on Saturday in reaction to the Federal High Court in Lokoja setting aside its December 2025 judgment that had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party . Justice Isah Dashen held that the earlier ruling affected the rights of the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed ownership of the logo adopted by the NDC but was not joined as a party in the original suit .
Accusations of one-party state agenda
The former vice president described the court's decision as evidence of what he called the administration's "desperate determination" to impose a de facto one-party state and weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections .
Atiku said the development did not come as a surprise, arguing that recent actions and political signals from the current administration have raised concerns about its commitment to democratic principles .
According to him, efforts to restrict political competition or limit citizens' choices at the ballot box pose a serious threat to democratic governance and national stability .
"Nigerians seeing Tinubu's true colours"
"Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but his body language and the sinister activities of his agents contradict his mouthed commitment to free and fair elections," Atiku said .
The Waziri of Adamawa urged Tinubu to borrow a leaf from the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who despite being a retired military officer turned politician, never deregistered any opposition party, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lived by the mantra that political ambition should not be worth the blood of any citizen .
"If you're truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn't be afraid of a free and fair competition," Atiku reminded Tinubu .
Atiku: "Tinubu cannot be champion of democracy under military rule, now enemy of democracy"
Atiku further accused Tinubu of abandoning the democratic ideals he championed during Nigeria's military era .
"Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for," he said .
"You can't attempt to rule the people against their will and still pretend that you're committed to free and fair elections in 2027," Atiku stated .
NDC vows to appeal
Meanwhile, the NDC leadership has rejected the court ruling, insisting it has not been deregistered and vowing to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal . The party's National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the rapid growth of the NDC had unsettled the ruling party, adding that "Nigeria must be rescued through democratic means" .
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