The Presidency has pushed back sharply against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over comments comparing governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a military dictatorship, calling the remarks misleading, exaggerated and unfair to Nigeria’s democratic journey.
Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, said Atiku’s statement amounted to a distortion of history and a deliberate attempt to delegitimise democratic outcomes after electoral defeat.
Dare was reacting to comments reportedly made by Atiku on Tuesday at a public event in Abuja — the launch of a book by Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). At the event, Atiku was quoted as saying the APC-led administration was worse than military rule and represented the poorest form of governance he had witnessed in nearly 40 years of political engagement.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Wednesday, Dare described it as troubling that a former Vice President who served under a constitutional democracy would equate an elected government with military authoritarianism.
According to him, such comparisons trivialise the painful experiences Nigerians endured under military regimes, when civil liberties were routinely curtailed and dissent was often met with detention, exile or worse.
Dare stressed that the continued freedom enjoyed by opposition figures — to criticise government policies, organise meetings and participate openly in politics — clearly demonstrates the difference between democracy and dictatorship.
He further accused Atiku of using exaggerated rhetoric to undermine public confidence in democratic institutions whenever electoral outcomes do not go his way, insisting that policy disagreements should not be framed as evidence of authoritarian rule.
Defending Tinubu’s administration, Dare said ongoing reforms, though difficult, are being implemented by a democratically elected government that remains accountable to the Nigerian people.
