2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of suppressing opposition politics, warning that Nigeria’s democratic space is shrinking.
Obi stated this when he appeared on ARISE PrimeTime yesterday. He said the refusal to grant his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), access to major venues in Abuja for its planned national convention was a troubling sign of democratic decline.
“That shows you the integrity of our democracy. If you are denied simple things like venue and everything, it shows where the country is drifting to.
“We are a party when we have freedom of association, everything enshrined in our constitution, and yet a party that is supposed to be the main opposition party cannot allow it to exist,” he stated.
He alleged that the government was not playing by democratic rules, saying there appeared to be a deliberate effort to weaken or suppress opposition parties.
Obi said despite the setbacks, the ADC convention would proceed as scheduled, dismissing concerns over logistical and legal uncertainties surrounding the event. “It will hold. I will be there.”
The former governor also criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly its withdrawal of recognition from the faction of the party leadership led by David Mark.
He said the move was questionable and inconsistent, noting that the same leadership had previously been recognised.
The former Anambra State governor warned that Nigeria’s democratic institutions, including the judiciary, were increasingly being drawn into political controversies. He lamented what he described as the erosion of public trust, saying the system was being reduced to a mess.
“It is not about me. It is about the integrity of our democratic process and building a better society for our children,” he said.
