DEMOCRACY DAY: Atiku Warns of Democratic Decline, Urges National Reawakening

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a powerful statement marking the 32nd anniversary of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, warning that Nigeria is on the brink of a dangerous democratic backslide and calling for a united national resistance to creeping authoritarianism.

In a deeply reflective message released on Thursday, Atiku lamented what he described as the “steady dismantling” of the hard-won democratic gains that Nigerians fought for in the aftermath of the 1993 elections—widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history. The election, which saw late Chief MKO Abiola emerge as winner, was annulled by the military junta, triggering widespread unrest and years of political struggle.

“At that defining moment in our history,” Atiku said, “I made the personal sacrifice of stepping aside for the late Chief MKO Abiola, believing in a higher national cause. But the real heroes were those who paid the ultimate price—Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Alfred Rewane. Their lives were given in pursuit of a freer Nigeria.”

He decried what he sees as a betrayal of their legacy by the current administration, which he accused of turning Nigeria’s democracy into a facade for one-party rule.

“Today, Nigeria teeters on the edge of a dangerous precipice,” Atiku warned. “A creeping one-party dictatorship is replacing the democratic order we bled for. What we are witnessing is not governance, it is conquest.”

He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using state power to entrench itself in office through repression and patronage, citing the marginalization of opposition voices, the award of multi-billion-naira contracts to cronies of the president, and the controversial renaming of national institutions in honour of the incumbent.

“The government governs with the unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence,” he said. “Institutions have been weaponized. Policies are no longer designed to empower Nigerians but to entrench fear, obedience, and elite comfort.”

Calling the current government “the lowest ebb in our democratic journey,” Atiku positioned himself as a central figure in a growing movement to resist what he described as “the privatization of the Nigerian state.”

He emphasized that the drive to unite the opposition is not a quest for political power, but a moral obligation to defend the soul of the nation.

“This is not just a political contest; it is a moral crusade,” Atiku declared. “A struggle to liberate our economy, our democracy, and our dignity from the grip of authoritarian forces. And like every righteous struggle, it demands courage, clarity, and collective resolve.”

He concluded with a rallying cry for Nigerians to reclaim the spirit of June 12, insisting that the values of liberty, justice, and democratic renewal must once again be brought to the fore.

“As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on—not just as memory, but as movement. The time to rise is now.”