Threat Against Peter Obi: Time To Put An End To Stifling Opposition Voices – Atiku Insists
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has declared that the time has come to put an end to the stifling of voices that are crucial to the health of any functioning democracy by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.
Atiku, who stated this while reacting to the recent threat against Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, coupled with the prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a prominent voice of dissent and others, said that such signaled a worrisome shift towards an authoritarian governance model, where the rights of opposition voices are being suffocated.
Atiku in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, specifically said that the inflammatory remarks issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, directed at Peter Obi, served as a disturbing emblem of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu -led administration’s unsettling strategy in addressing opposition figures.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, noted that the choice of words used by the APC’s spokesperson, particularly the ominous suggestion that Obi has “crossed the line,” revealed an alarming disdain for democratic principles.
He stressed that such language, rooted in hostility, has no place in a free society where civil discourse and engagement should reign supreme.
Atiku further said; “A true democracy thrives on the healthy exchange of ideas, where the criticisms and contributions of opposition leaders, like Peter Obi, are seen as vital for the betterment of governance and the promotion of public accountability”.
The former Vice president said that it is not merely the right, but the solemn duty of a democratic government to listen attentively to the voices of its critics, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to allow space for the articulation of alternative viewpoints.
In the words of Atiku; “Instead, we are faced with a chilling threat that suggests Obi must “be ready for whatever comes his way.” What, exactly, does Mr. Morka imply by this? It is imperative that the ruling party provides clarity on this disturbing insinuation.
“Equally troubling is the crude and disparaging manner in which the APC spokesperson has framed Peter Obi’s calls for constructive engagement, likening them to a lawless Wild West scenario.
“Such reckless and derogatory expressions cannot be tolerated, and it is incumbent upon the APC to issue a formal apology to Obi and the Nigerian people for such disgraceful language.
“The case of Mallam Shehu, languishing in detention without any clear explanation for his continued imprisonment, adds to the growing concern about the erosion of freedoms in Nigeria.
“If there is anyone who has truly “crossed the line,” it is the Tinubu administration, whose continuous vilification of opposition figures as mere irritants to be crushed is a dangerous precedent.
“It is now time for all men and women of goodwill to intervene, urging the Tinubu government to recalibrate its approach to dealing with dissent and opposition,” Atiku stressed.
