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Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout recorded in Saturday’s FCT Area Council elections, describing it as a reflection of Nigeria’s declining democratic state under the governance of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement shared by his media aide, Paul Ibe, the former presidential candidate said the turnout, reportedly below 20 per cent, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council recording about 7.8 per cent, points to deeper issues affecting public participation in governance.
Atiku argued that the poor turnout was not incidental but a consequence of what he described as a political state marked by intolerance, intimidation, and the weakening of opposition voices.
He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress of pursuing actions that restrict democratic space and discourage electoral freedom.
He further warned that declining public confidence in the electoral process poses a serious threat to democracy, noting that when citizens begin to doubt the value of their votes, democratic structures are gradually undermined.
“When citizens lose faith that their votes matter, democracy begins to die,” Atiku stated. “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.”
The former vice president cautioned that continued erosion of participatory governance could have lasting consequences, stressing that a system without credible opposition, open competition, and public trust cannot function as a true democracy.
“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.”
He urged opposition parties and other democratic stakeholders to unite, emphasising that safeguarding the country’s democratic future should take precedence over partisan interests.
