Tinubu, Atiku clash over ‘persecution’ of opposition

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of employing repressive tactics to stifle opposition voices ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku expressed concern over what he described as “a calculated assault” on opposition leaders and dissenting voices across the country.

But presidential spokesperson, Abdul’Aziz Abdul’Aziz, dismissed Atiku’s claims, insisting that there was no government-backed clampdown on opposition.

According to a BBC Hausa report, yesterday, the former Vice President cited the invitation of former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, by the police, alongside attacks on some opposition figures, as part of a broader move to weaken parties that could challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 polls.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, AbdurRashid Shehu Sharada, Atiku said: “From the attack on a former Minister of Justice in Kebbi State, where our African Democratic Congress, ADC, supporters were brutalised, to the disruption of an elder’s security meeting in Katsina led by Usman Bugaje, it is obvious that the government is encouraging political thuggery.”

He added that the disruption of an ADC meeting in Kaduna, which El-Rufai attended, was particularly worrisome since no arrests were made, noting that instead, the police chose to invite El-Rufai and other opposition leaders for questioning.

However, Abdul’Aziz explained that El-Rufai’s police invitation followed statements he made at the Kaduna event and reports of armed supporters in attendance, noting: “As for the incidents in Kebbi and Katsina, the government had no hand in them.”

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