The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections on Saturday saw what former vice president Atiku Abubakar** called as a startlingly low voter turnout, raising concerns that Nigeria’s democracy is seriously threatened.
The head of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement released by the Atiku Media Office on Sunday, said 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 maintained that the poor turnout in the country’s capital was a predicted outcome of what he described as a political environment characterized by intolerance, intimidation, and the weakening of alternative voices.
By allegedly intimidating dissenters and pressuring political actors, the Waziri Adamawa accused President Bola Tinubu’s government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of purposefully reducing the democratic space.
Atiku cautioned that the nation is seeing more than just ordinary voter indifference, saying that “democracy begins to die when citizens lose faith that their votes matter.”
He warned that, if not immediately addressed, the ongoing deterioration of participatory governance could cause long-term harm to Nigeria’s democratic underpinnings.
The former vice president emphasized that the time goes beyond political interests and urged opposition parties and pro-democracy organizations to unite and present a united front.
“This is about protecting the Republic, not party lines anymore. “Now is the moment to unite in order to rescue and rebuild Nigeria,” the statement continued.
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