In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections on Saturday, former vice president Atiku Abubakar** expressed concern over what he called an unacceptably low voter turnout, cautioning that Nigeria’s democracy is seriously threatened.
The leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said in a statement released by the Atiku Media Office on Sunday that the turnout, which he said averaged less than 20% and that the Abuja Municipal Area Council recorded roughly 7.8%, is a concerning sign of waning public trust in the electoral process.
Atiku contended that the poor turnout in the nation’s capital was a foreseeable outcome of what he described as a political environment characterized by intimidation, intolerance, and the weakening of opposing voices.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s administration were charged by the Waziri Adamawa with purposefully reducing the democratic space by allegedly intimidating dissenters and pressuring political actors.
According to Atiku, “democracy begins to die when citizens lose faith that their votes matter,” cautioning that the nation is seeing more than just ordinary voter indifference.
If not immediately addressed, he said, the ongoing deterioration of participatory governance could cause long-term harm to Nigeria’s democratic foundations.
The former vice president urged pro-democracy organizations and opposition parties to unify and present a unified front, emphasizing that the issue goes beyond partisanship.
This is about protecting the Republic, not party lines anymore. The declaration further stated that now is the moment for unity in the rescue and reconstruction of Nigeria.
