Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the ex-Vice President, emphasized the need for a robust opposition to prevent Nigeria from sliding into a one-party state.
During a meeting with the national executive committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council Nigeria (IPAC) on Tuesday, Atiku expressed concerns about the All Progressives Congress (APC) turning the country into a one-party dictatorship.
. He called on opposition parties to unite and establish a formidable front against the ruling party.
“We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party.
“If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn,” Atiku warned.
Atiku condemned last weekend’s governorship election in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, and said
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “doubled down on its disregard for the tenets of our democracy.”
READ ALSO: Tinubu responds to Atiku; “It’s time to give up your dream of becoming president.”
Atiku alleged that “INEC declared a result in Kogi State where the total number of votes cast is higher than the total number of accredited voters in one local government.
“We cannot have a healthy democracy in an environment where all INEC does is to deliver the ruling party at all cost.”
He maintained that for INEC to redeem itself, the National Assembly should amend the law to allow for electronic voting.
“The issue of electronic voting must be the urgent priority of the National Assembly because countries that are far less advanced as Nigeria are already doing it.
“Until our elections pass the test of transparency through electronic voting, it will be difficult for INEC to regain its credibility, and our democracy will be the first casualty of such a situation,” he added.
IPAC National Chairman Yabagi Sani said : “Atiku as a true democrat and a political leader who treads the path of detribalisation and politics without violence”
