The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has hijacked Nigeria’s democracy and is using poverty as a tool of political control.
In a statement to mark the 2025 Democracy Day, Debo Ologunagba, national publicity secretary of the PDP, accused the APC of plotting to entrench a one-party dictatorship in the country.
He said the ruling party has continued to stifle democratic institutions and values, especially the rule of law, free elections, press freedom and the right of Nigerians to participate in governance.
“The PDP calls on Nigerians, institutions of democracy, organised civil society, development partners and all lovers of democracy to unite in speaking out against the stifling of democratic tenets of justice, the rule of law, free, fair, peaceful and credible electoral process and the right of citizens to freely participate in politics and governance,” Ologunagba said.
He alleged that the APC is using state powers to manipulate democratic institutions, suppress opposition voices, undermine the constitution, and “weaponise poverty” to subjugate the population.
“The APC government continues to use compromised state apparatus to brazenly violate the constitution, emasculate the opposition, abridge the liberty of citizens to freely elect their leaders, asphyxiate the media and weaponise poverty,” he said.
He added that the presidency is colluding with the APC-led national assembly and “compromised judicial officers” to undermine the will of the people.
Ologunagba cited the party’s loss in the 2024 Edo governorship election and the removal of elected officials in Rivers state as examples of what he called “state capture” by the ruling party.
“The brazen subversion of the will of the people in Edo and the unconstitutional imposition of a sole administrator in Rivers are clear and present dangers to our democracy,” he said.
He said June 12 stands as a reminder of the people’s resistance to tyranny and their demand for freedom, justice and good governance.
“It represents the insistence by Nigerians for a system that is accountable to the people, operates on the rule of law and democratic principles of freedom, justice, fairness, equity, credible elections, national cohesion, transparency and accountability in government — values which Chief MKO Abiola personified and died for,” he said.
The PDP accused the APC of betraying those values and turning Nigeria into the private estate of a few powerful individuals.
“The APC has turned our nation into a fiefdom for the benefit of the few while the people suffer,” he said.
He urged the National Assembly, the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to defend their constitutional independence and uphold the rule of law.
The PDP also asked the federal government to respect the principle of separation of powers, stop interfering in the work of democratic institutions and ensure press freedom and electoral integrity.
Ologunagba congratulated Nigerians on Democracy Day and urged them not to lose faith in democracy.
He called on citizens to remain law-abiding and unite behind the PDP as it works to reclaim power and “rescue the nation” in 2027.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
