KEY POINTS
- According to Atiku, APC’s rhetoric is undemocratic and calls for accountability.
- Labour Party warns about threats to democracy and the free speech.
- APC however denies threatening Obi’s life.
Presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, have criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its National Publicity Secretary’s, Felix Morka, attack on Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
Opposition leaders have registered sharp rebukes to the comments, describing them as inflammatory and also damaging to Nigeria’s democratic principles.
Atiku warns about authoritarian tendencies
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Atiku, said Morka’s statements were a troubling indicator of the ruling party’s shift towards authoritarianism. He also spoke negatively about the APC’s language, saying that the phrase “crossed the line” is undemocratic and scaring.
“This kind of rhetoric detraces the values of constructive dialogue in a pluralistic society.” As such, though, silencing critics erodes public trust and weakens democratic institutions,” Atiku said.
And he cited the detention of Mahdi Shehu, a critic of the current administration, as part of a pattern of suppressing dissent. Morka therefore should clarify his statement and retract any veiled threat against Obi, Atiku demanded an apology from the APC to the Nigerian people as he called on the APC to clear what he alleged was ambiguity from the comments of Morka and retract any veiled threat against Obi.
Labour Party says democracy being undermined
Labour Party’s Director General of Mobilization and Integration Marcel Ngogbehei in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu criticised Morka’s remarks, saying they undermine free speech and political pluralism.
Such rhetoric, warned Ngogbehei, suggested an increasingly dangerous trend toward the suppression of opposition voices and called on the administration to adopt a more inclusive, tolerant tone.
“The rhetoric against Peter Obi goes far beyond politics and challenges the bedrock of the democracy of Nigeria,” the letter reads.
While responding to the backlash, APC spokesperson Felix Morka denied to have made any threat against Obi, saying the former governor has been peddling rumours. Obi, Morka alleged, had instigated his supporters against political opponents and had not condemned their attacks on social media.
Mr. Obi doesn’t have a free speech monopoly. “With no challenge or disagreement, he can propagate false narratives without any recourse,” Morka said.
He further said that public figures like Obi have the responsibility of giving accurate information and rejected claims that he threatened the Labour Party candidate’s life.
