Atiku Vows ADC Coalition Will Resist ‘Anti-Democratic Forces’ Under Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reaffirmed that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition will remain resolute in defending Nigerians from what he described as “anti-democratic forces” under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Atiku made the declaration in a post on X on Monday following a meeting with Senator Aminu Tambuwal, representing Sokoto South, and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

“We will be unrelenting in defending the rights of every Nigerian being harassed by anti-democratic forces of the Tinubu-led APC administration,” Atiku wrote. “The coalition we are pushing is aimed at rescuing our democracy from the stranglehold of this emerging dictatorship. We shall be deliberate in joining hands to save our democracy.”

The former Vice President has in recent weeks accused the Tinubu government of deploying repressive measures to silence dissent. Earlier in September, he alleged a “calculated assault” on opposition leaders, citing the police invitation of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai and what he called targeted attacks on other opposition figures.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, AbdurRashid Shehu Sharada, Atiku described the disruption of an ADC meeting in Kaduna—attended by El-Rufai—as particularly troubling, noting that no arrests were made despite the incident. Instead, he said, security agencies summoned El-Rufai and other opposition leaders for questioning, which he argued was part of a broader strategy to weaken political rivals ahead of the next general election.