By Luminous Jannamike, John Alechenu & Henry Oduah

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party, LP, have all found faults with President Bola Tinubu’s June 12 Democracy Day speech, and governance under his administration.

Read Also: President Tinubu confers national honour on Vanguard Publisher, Sam Amuka

Recall that President Tinubu addressed a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, on Thursday.

In his Democracy Day statement, Atiku Abubakar accused President Tinubu of pursuing “conquest” and not “governance”.

He alleged that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat from “creeping authoritarianism, elite cronyism, and institutional subversion under the current administration”.

Peter Obi, on his part, said democracy has been in recession since President Bola Tinubu took over power two years ago.

The presidential candidate of LP in the 2023 elections noted that a lot is going wrong and called on the President to note that, “Governing by remote is not what Nigerians need.”

For PDP, the President’s All Progressives Congress, APC, is engineering the internal crises plaguing opposition parties, likening the situation to the biblical imagery of “the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.”

On its part, LP decried the state of democracy in Nigeria, stating that it is disheartening that the current democratic practice in the country falls short of its true meaning.

Tinubu out for conquest, not governance – Atiku

Recalling the sacrifices made during the June 12 struggle, including his own decision to step aside for the late MKO Abiola, Atiku lamented that the ideals for which many died —including Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and Alfred Rewane — were being eroded.

He said: “This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponized.

“Policies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The common Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort.

“And make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for.

“As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on, not just as memory, but as movement,” he concluded.

Democracy in recession – Peter Obi

According to Peter Obi, “Mr. President you have already made over 30 international trips, spending nearly 150 days abroad.

“If you tour Nigeria’s 36 states and dedicate just two days to tour each state, it would take only 72 days for you to do so, less than half the time you have already spent in other areas of the country on foreign trips.

“You need to go around the country to see.

“We must end this troubling governance era that is filled with impunity, state capture, and absolute disregard for the rule of law and the checks and balances required of any worthwhile democracy.

“It is most troubling that in its two years in office, the present government has brought the nation to the point where our leaders now celebrate and endorse failure, lies, and propaganda.

“The government today, rather than show genuine accountability and measurable progress, focuses on manipulating narratives, gaslighting the public, shifting blame and weaponizing governance.

Crisis in opposition is “Hand of Esau, voice of Jacob’ — PDP

The Labour Party, LP’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, told Vanguard that the APC was engineering the internal crises plaguing opposition parties.

His response followed President Tinubu’s Democracy Day address at the National Assembly, in which the President denied any involvement in the disarray within opposition parties.

Osadolor said: “It’s akin to the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob — whichever comes first. The President’s claims reek of insincerity.

“There’s clear evidence of APC’s interference in the affairs of opposition parties.

“The problem lies in the failure of institutional leadership and the constitutional flaw that gives the President sweeping authority to hire and fire heads of security agencies. If these institutions were truly independent, 90% of the political manipulation we’re seeing wouldn’t be possible.”

True democracy – Labour Party

The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Usman, called for true democarcy.

She made the call in an address delivered at the New Nigeria Youth Summit 2025, themed: “Attracting Diaspora Investment, Pulling Nigeria Out of Poverty, and Transforming into a Global Economic Power”.

Reflecting on the significance of June 12, Usman said it was imperative to honour the sacrifices of Nigeria’s pro-democracy heroes and heroines who, 32 years ago, defied tyranny and dreamed of a nation where the people would truly hold sovereign power.

“We remember Chief MKO Abiola, whose blood—like that of many others—watered the fragile seed of our democracy,” she said. “But as we gather here in Abuja to engage on the future of Nigeria, we must ask with honest hearts: Is this the democracy they died for?”

According to her, Nigeria’s democracy has become increasingly hollow.

“The bitter truth remains that our democracy often mocks its own name,” she lamented.

“We have made progress in some areas, but the heart of democracy — free, fair, and credible elections; the rule of law; and accountable governance — continues to suffer under the weight of manipulation, impunity, and elite capture.”

Vanguard News