Atiku Decries Low Voter Turnout in FCT Elections, Accuses Government of Suffocating Democracy
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout recorded during the recent area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
He stated that the lack of participation shows a political environment damaged by intolerance and the suppression of opposition voices.
Atiku shared his views in a statement released by his media office in Abuja on Sunday. He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of reducing the democratic space in the country.
The African Democratic Congress chieftain noted that democracy starts to fail when citizens lose faith that their votes count.
He described the low turnout as a direct result of a government that restricts political pluralism. He added that democracy in Nigeria is slowly being suffocated.
The former vice president warned that the steady decline in participatory governance could cause permanent damage to the democratic system built over many years.
He explained that a democracy without a strong opposition, free political competition, and public trust is only a democracy in name. He urged opposition parties to unite and work together to build a better Nigeria.
The All Progressives Congress won five out of the six chairmanship positions in the recent council elections while the Peoples Democratic Party secured a victory in the Gwagwalada area council. The African Democratic Congress did not win any chairmanship seat in the polls.
