Atiku accuses Tinubu, Wike of blocking PDP from using Abuja venue

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of undermining democratic institutions and attempting to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

Atiku made the remarks on Saturday in reaction to the decision by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to bar the Peoples Democratic Party from using a public event centre in Abuja for the affirmation of its presidential candidate.

In a statement from his media office, Atiku described the action as an abuse of power and part of a broader government strategy to suppress political opposition. He argued that the incident reflects a growing pattern of intolerance toward opposition parties under the Tinubu administration.

The statement said the minister’s decision to deny the PDP the opportunity to hold an event in line with its constitutional rights amounted to a blatant abuse of the party’s rights and an unacceptable violation of the freedoms of association and peaceful assembly guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.

The controversy comes amid rising political activity ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition parties voicing increasing concern over what they see as efforts to restrict political space and tilt the electoral environment in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Atiku insisted that both public and private facilities in the FCT should be accessible to all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, and accused the FCT Administration of acting in a partisan manner. He added that similar political interference through public institutions has been observed under the current administration, pointing to an earlier incident involving the African Democratic Congress during its national convention in April.

He also alleged double standards, noting that a faction of the ADC was allowed to hold a public event in Abuja days earlier without any restrictions. He warned that such actions set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy, rule of law, and electoral integrity.

Atiku further accused President Tinubu of using state institutions to create an uneven political playing field for the next presidential election. He described the FCT minister’s action as consistent with what he called a pattern of deploying state resources to frustrate opposition and weaken democratic processes.

The former vice president argued that the government is afraid of free and fair elections, but that Nigerians remain determined to demand genuine democracy, accountability, and respect for the constitution. He also suggested that the president is focused either on having his way in the 2027 election or on destroying the country’s democracy.

Atiku called on the FCT minister to reverse the decision and ensure equal access to facilities for all political parties. He also urged civil society organisations and other democratic stakeholders to resist what he termed creeping authoritarianism before it further erodes the nation’s democratic foundations.

As of the time of this report, neither the Presidency nor the FCT Administration had issued an official response to the allegations.