Atiku Abubakar Urges Tinubu for Free Elections in Nigeria

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, urged President Bola Tinubu to embrace free and fair elections, asserting that genuine public support should not fear political competition. In a statement issued by his media office on Saturday, Atiku accused Tinubu's administration of attempting to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, which he claimed poses a grave threat to Nigeria's democracy.

He emphasized that both former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan did not attempt to deregister opposition parties despite fierce political contests. Atiku further called on the judiciary to resist political pressure to safeguard its independence, warning that any erosion of public confidence in the justice system could damage the judiciary's integrity.

His remarks followed a ruling by Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, which set aside a previous judgment regarding the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress by the Independent National Electoral Commission.