The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has called on the United Nations, European Union, African Union, Commonwealth, United States, United Kingdom and other international stakeholders to take stronger diplomatic measures against those undermining democracy to protect democratic institutions and human rights in Nigeria. The party also called on Nigerians, civil society organizations, opposition parties, the media and other democratic groups to unite against growing “authoritarian tendencies under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.” APM in a statement by Abubakar Yusuf, its National Publicity Secretary said their call followed report published on the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) Tyranny Tracker platform stating that Nigeria is now a full authoritarian state under the present administration. The opposition party said the report confirms APM’s position that under the present administration “Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and democratic institutions have been captured by executive authoritarianism. Security, anti-corruption agencies and the courts have also become weapons against opposition parties and dissenting voices with citizens now living in despair and fear of the government in power.” APM said under the All Progressives Congress, APC administration, “authorities continue to restrict opposition parties including using security agencies to intimidate, harass, detain and prosecute opposition leaders on trumped-up charges while denying opposition parties access to venues for political mobilization. “In many APC controlled states, opposition parties are denied access to the media and right to erect campaign billboards.” The party alleged that more disturbing is the compromising conducts and activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Josiah Amupitan, including “undue interferences in the internal affairs of opposition parties and refusal to obey court orders favouring such parties. “Currently, majority of Nigerians have lost hope in the integrity of INEC as presently constituted, to conduct credible general elections that will reflect the Will of the people in 2027.” Equally unsettling, APM said is that the APC-led National Assembly has become overtly compromised and now acts as “a rubber stamp for authoritarianism against its constitutional mandate to check the excesses of the executive.” APM said it is worried that the current situation in Nigeria, if not addressed, “might lead to a crisis of monumental proposition capable of derailing our nation’s democracy”. It is against this backdrop, that the APM called on the international community to take firm steps to protect democracy in Nigeria including “possible imposition of diplomatic sanctions including Visa bans, asset freezing and other strong measures against Nigerian officials who are undermining democracy in our country.”
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
