The Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the latest global assessment report by the Human Rights Foundation, which classified Nigeria as a fully authoritarian regime, is a mere confirmation of the local reality that Nigerians have been facing under the APC-led Federal Government.
It stated that the report confirmed the faulty electoral process, absence of protection for dissent, erosion of democratic safeguards and the obvious collapse of checks and balances on the executive by critical national institutions.
The PDP noted that the report published on the foundation’s Tyranny Tracker platform, tyrannytracker.org, showed that the country performed abysmally low on all the critical pillars of its assessment, indicating a full descent into authoritarianism, which is incompatible with democratic tenets.
A statement by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee of the PDP said that it is worthy of note that the assessment parameters of the foundation align with the theoretical frameworks that have identified, analysed and condemned authoritarian regimes-being the rule by a dictator and a small group, or a single party; the absence of institutional checks and balances; loss or apprehension of freedom of speech; opposition targeting; and weak and fake elections.
The PDP further stated that it does not take any high degree of intelligence for anybody to agree with the report, stressing that all the indicators of authoritarianism are present in Nigeria, under this Tinubu regime.
According to the PDP; “A few examples from the numerous anomalies experienced by Nigerians will suffice here-the recent deployment of uncivilised and uncouth media attacks by officials of the administration to attack Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the Catholic Church and Christianity generally.
“This incident is one of many which eloquently attests to the absence of freedom of speech under this administration. What did the cleric say that is not the lived experience of Nigerians, except, of course, the few who are isolated from reality and their paid human megaphones?
“The complete failure of the National Assembly to offer any form of meaningful checks to the executive is not a secret-else how could an administration fail to execute the Appropriation Act for three years, and yet that administration gets commendation, instead of condemnation, from the legislature?
“A parliament that ignores or blatantly disrespects the country’s constitution and its own standing rules during critical legislative activities cannot offer credible oversight of the executive,” it stated.
The Turaki-led PDP said that what is left, which the administration has doubled down on, is the fact that the 2027 elections are designed as a mere formality, far from reflecting the people’s wishes through the ballot.
The opposition party therefore called on the Tinubu APC administration to immediately take critical steps to de-escalate the political tensions emanating from actions traceable to their officials and their proxies, in the interest of the survival of democracy.
The PDP said that the continuous asphyxiation of the opposition, clear weaponisation of security agencies against real and perceived opponents, increasing signs of partisanship by the electoral umpire, and reckless deployment of combustible political rhetoric by the President and his handlers should cease.
The PDP further said; “The President must realise that there are two contests embedded in the 2027 Presidential elections-the presidency and the country.
“An attempt to focus on winning the former at all costs may result in the loss of the latter; and only a free, fair, credible and peaceful contest can guarantee a win for both coveted prizes,” stated.
The party urged Nigerians to continue to demand accountability from their leaders at all levels, stressing that it is the irreducible minimum that democracy provides.
