JUNE 12: Atiku cautions against tendencies of authoritarianism in Buhari’s govt

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has regretted perceived evidences of Nigeria heading towards authoritarianism under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The former Vice President who gave the warning in a statement on Monday to mark the 25th anniversary of June 12, lamented human rights abuses many Nigerians are being subjugated to in some of the institutions of government at all levels.

While nothing that such development was contradictory to the notion of inclusiveness and fairness that a democratic society entails, Atiku said that it was needful for Nigerians to understand that the democracy being enjoyed in the country “today did not come at cheap price.”

Atiku, who recalled the recent campaign against the brutality of the anti-robbery unit of the Nigeria Police, SARS, by youths across the country, wondered why up till this moment no fundamental reform has taken place in the operations of that unit.

He said, “Today, across our major cities and even in the hinterlands, citizens – especially the youth – can hardly walk freely in open avenues without the police stopping them to search through the content of their mobile handsets.

“Civil servants now lose their jobs just because they choose to criticize politicians in government positions. There are even suggestions in some quarters that civil servants should be barred from signing to social media networks.

“Opposition politicians are regularly being hounded on wanton criminal and civil prosecutions. All of these narratives have become a consistent pattern of behavior that is antithetical to an open and democratic society.

“In many of the states across the country, there is a reign of fascism with governors who have suddenly become overlords dealing ruthlessly with anyone who dares to challenge their ruthless foothold of intimidation and oppression.

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“Perhaps at this point, we need to remind ourselves that the democracy which we enjoy today did not come at cheap price. It came at the cost of supreme price paid by persons that included Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Maj-Gen Shehu Yar’Adua, Chief Alfred Rewane and Bagauda Kaltho, among thousands of other patriots.”

While noting that democracy was not just a method of appointing a government, he said, “Its beauty is in the inherent safeguard to the citizenry to live and prosper as free people under the law”.

The former Vice President therefore urged all political actors to let June 12 and all that it represents, inspire them to promote democratic principles.

 

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