Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has once again criticised President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress over the ongoing political crises in Lagos and Osun States.
Atiku blamed the APC for the violence and killings in Osun State ahead of the local government elections, accusing the ruling party of being desperate “to retain power at all costs.”
The former Vice President made these allegations in a statement issued on his verified X handle on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
He claimed that both the presidency and the APC leadership remained silent while thugs and mercenaries moved to seize control of the 30 Local Government Areas in Osun State.
“In Osun State, the APC orchestrated a full-scale assault on the democratic process, attempting to hijack the local government elections through brute force. Armed thugs and mercenaries, operating under the party’s protection, launched an audacious bid to seize control of all 30 Local Government Area council secretariats.
“And yet, the so-called national leadership of the APC and the presidency watched in complicit silence. Had it not been for the fearless resistance of Osun people—who stood their ground against the APC’s rampaging foot soldiers—democracy in the state would have been trampled under the boots of political marauders acting at the behest of their party’s overlords.”
The opposition leader called on security agencies deployed for the upcoming elections to uphold their constitutional duty with professionalism and avoid being used to enforce what he described as APC’s criminal agenda.
“These are dangerous times. The APC has abandoned any pretence of democratic legitimacy, resorting instead to brute force in its bid to cling to power—even as the people have overwhelmingly rejected it. We commend the brave citizens of Osun for standing up to the tyranny that sought to break them. Their resilience is a beacon of hope in the face of unrelenting oppression.
“Tinubu’s APC has left no doubt—it will stop at nothing to subvert democracy and impose itself against the will of the people. But Nigerians must resist. The time-honored warning remains true: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
“President Bola A. Tinubu, @officialABAT, and his dwindling band of enablers must cease their reckless acts of political sabotage—not just in Osun or Lagos, but across Nigeria. The people demand governance, not chaos. Nigerians will not sit idly while their democracy is hijacked by a power-drunk regime intent on setting the country on fire,” Atiku alleged.
It will be recalled that Atiku had, on Monday, urged the president to stop interfering in state matters.
