Atiku Condemns PDP Venue Denial, Blames Tinubu
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a sharp attack on President Bola Tinubu, accusing the administration of deploying state institutions to frustrate opposition parties and tilt the political playing field as Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general election.
The accusation, contained in a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office on Saturday, came in response to the alleged refusal of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to grant the Peoples Democratic Party access to a public event centre in Abuja for the affirmation of its presidential candidate.
Atiku described the development as a violation of constitutional rights and a worrying signal of shrinking democratic space under the current administration.
“The action of Minister Wike to deny the PDP the opportunity of holding an event in line with its constitutional right represents a blatant abuse of the party’s rights and an unacceptable infringement on the freedom of association and peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” the statement read.
The controversy lands at a politically charged moment. With less than two years to the 2027 presidential election, opposition platforms have grown increasingly vocal about what they describe as coordinated attempts to weaken competitive politics and entrench the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Atiku argued that public facilities, whether located in the FCT or elsewhere in the country, exist to serve all Nigerians regardless of political affiliation. He accused the FCT Administration of partisanship, saying the refusal amounted to “discriminatory” conduct and “a clear demonstration of partisan interference by the Tinubu administration.”
He further alleged a pattern of selective enforcement, pointing to the recent national convention of his own party, the ADC, in April, which he said also faced obstruction. According to him, a rival ADC faction was permitted to hold a public event in Abuja in recent days without facing similar restrictions.
“It was under the same leadership of Wike in the FCT that a sponsored faction of the ADC had a public event a few days ago with no one threatening them,” he said. “This sets a dangerous precedent that undermines Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the integrity of our elections.”
The former vice president framed the latest action within what he described as “Tinubu’s emerging pattern of deploying state institutions and resources to frustrate political opposition.” He warned that “by weaponising the FCT administration against opposition parties, the Tinubu administration is revealing its intolerance for political pluralism.”
Atiku, who has positioned himself as a defender of democratic governance across multiple election cycles, declared that “the Tinubu government is afraid of free and fair elections” and that suppression tactics “will not succeed.”
In one of the statement’s sharpest lines, he charged: “Tinubu is focused on either having his way in the 2027 election or destroying Nigeria’s democracy.”
He called on the FCT Minister to immediately reverse the decision and grant all opposition parties unfettered access to public and private venues for legitimate political activities. He also urged civil society organisations and democratic stakeholders to push back against what he termed “creeping authoritarianism.”
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the FCT Administration had officially responded.
The dispute adds to a widening political fault line as 2027 approaches, with concerns over institutional neutrality, access to public infrastructure, and the conduct of government officials increasingly shaping national debate.