Key Points:
- Specifically, Atiku frowned at the arrest of NLC President Joe Ajaero and the attack on SERAP’s office.
- He stated that Tinubu administration had succeeded in imposing more oppressive measures than even military authoritarian regimes.
- Atiku called on the government to wage war against terrorist and bandits instead of civil society organizations.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had also blasted the arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero and the siege on the Abuja office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Atiku opined that this was true and that the oppression that the President Bola Tinubu’s administration was carrying on was even worse than Nigeria’s military dictatorial rule. Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja in the early hours of Monday by the Department of State Services(DSS), and was released late in the evening of the same day.
On the same day also, operatives of the DSS also stormed the office of SERAP, an organization that is always holding the government accountable especially on issues relating to human rights and transparency. The arrest and siege have caused worry on how the government is tightening its grip on civil society and freedom of the media.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of people democratic party PDP for 2023 used his verified X (formerly twitter) on Tuesday to express his disappointment.
Atiku condemns Tinubu’s oppression
He said, “The level of oppressive control now imposed even goes beyond the worst period of military dictatorship.” Atiku also condemned that the APC government targeted organized labor civil society and the media.
In his post, Atiku used the case of a journalist that was arrested a few days before citing the explanation given by the security forces as a grievous error and asking what if the result was fatal. He also pointed out the aggressions against SERAP is a threat to Nigerian democracy and stressed that Tinubu has acted despicably in this regime contrary to freedom and justice.
The situation demands that security is targeted on terrorists and bandits and not civil rights organizations
Atiku called on the Tinubu administration to shift the tone of its security policies from targeting civil society groups to confront real foe of the country, such as terrorists and bandits.
He therefore urged Tinubu and his security details to shift their energy and threats from protesters and fix it on the real violent actors, who are terrorists and bandits humiliating the Nigerian populace.
