5 hours Ago By Tomisin
A statement from Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has highlighted concerns over the state of democracy in Nigeria. Ibe, on Sunday, described the reaction of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to criticism from Atiku, Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir el-Rufai as “a stark attack” on Nigeria’s democracy. Amaechi, former minister of transportation, and El-Rufai, ex-Governor of Kaduna, had expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the country’s current state.
The presidency responded fiercely, with Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication, questioning Amaechi’s loyalty. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, labeled the critics as “wannabes” and stated that “the clouds are beginning to clear” and “the combat begins.” READ ALSO: Presidency Slams El Rufai, Amaechi For Antagonizing Tinubu’s Govt Ibe countered that Dare’s statement implies the Tinubu administration views the upcoming election as “a combat and a fight.
” He urged the government to unite the nation and refrain from making careless remarks about other countries. Ibe emphasized that the recent gathering of political leaders aimed to promote democracy, ensure credible elections, and advance social justice. His words: “If the Tinubu administration could describe opposition in a democracy in the language of the era of the Dark Ages, we find such behaviour as unbecoming and a stark attack on the collective impression of our hard-won democracy and the fundamental human rights that it guarantees.
“We therefore urge the Tinubu government to unite and heal the nation and desist from making careless remarks about other countries or the patriotism of the Nigerian people.”.
