Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over the low voter turnout in Saturday’s FCT Area Council elections, describing it as a “damning verdict” on Nigeria’s democracy under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The turnout averaged below 20%, with Abuja Municipal Area Council recording 7.8%.
Atiku attributes the low turnout to a poisoned political environment, intolerance, intimidation, and weakening of opposition voices.
He alleges the Tinubu administration is suffocating democracy, shrinking democratic space, and harassing dissenters.
He calls on opposition parties to unite and rescue Nigeria, warning that the erosion of participatory governance could inflict irreversible damage on democracy.
“A democracy without vibrant opposition, without free political competition, and without public confidence is democracy in name only,” Atiku stated.
