FCT Election: Atiku Issues Fresh Nationwide Message to Nigerians, "We Are Under Attack By Tinubu"
- Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has sent a message to Nigerians shortly after the FCT Area council election
- The Waziri Adamawa accused President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led administration of shrinking democratic space through intimidation and suppression of opposition voices
- The African Democratic Congress chieftain warned that Nigeria’s democratic foundations were being steadily undermined and called for a united opposition to preserve the Republic
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FCT, Abuja - Former Vice President of Nigeria and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has released a major message to Nigerians shortly after the FCT elections.
Specifically, Atiku expressed serious concern over the low voter turnout recorded in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
Source: Getty Images
Atiku described the figures, which averaged below 20 per cent across the councils, as deeply troubling, noting that the Abuja Municipal Area Council recorded a turnout of just 7.8 per cent.
Atiku says low participation verdict on democracy
Reacting to the outcome, the former vice president said the figures amounted to a d@mning assessment of the state of Nigeria’s democracy under the current administration.
A statement signed by Atiku's media office via X and cited by Legit on Monday, February 23, he argued that such weak civic participation in the nation’s capital, which he described as the symbolic heartbeat of the federation, could not be dismissed as coincidence.
Atiku: ‘Democratic space deliberately shrinking’
Atiku accused the government led by President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress of fostering a hostile political climate.
According to him, intolerance, intimidation and the gradual weakening of opposition voices have discouraged citizens from participating in the electoral process.
The Waziri Adamawa said the administration had pursued policies that harass dissenters, pressure political actors and treat alternative viewpoints as threats rather than contributions to national progress.
Atiku: ‘When citizens lose faith, democracy begins to die’
Speaking on the implications of the low turnout, Atiku warned that Nigeria’s democratic foundations were being steadily undermined.
Source: Getty Images
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die. What we are witnessing is not mere voter apathy. It is a direct consequence of an administration that governs with a chokehold on pluralism. Democracy in Nigeria is being suffocated slowly, steadily, and dangerously.”
Warning of long-term damage
The former vice president cautioned that continued erosion of participatory governance could cause lasting harm to the democratic system built over decades.
“A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only. If this chokehold is not released, history will record this era as the period when our hard-won freedoms were traded for fear and conformity.”
Call for opposition unity
Atiku urged opposition parties and pro-democracy groups nationwide to put aside differences and work together to defend democratic values.
“This is no longer about party lines; it is about preserving the Republic. The time to stand together to rescue and rebuild Nigeria is now.”
The statement was issued by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja and dated February 22, 2026.
Atiku sends message to El-Rufai
Legit.ng earlier reported that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sent a message to ex-Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on the occasion of his birthday.
Atiku’s message came the same day El-Rufai visited the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Source: Legit.ng
