BREAKING: Atiku Blasts Tinubu Over Sowore’s Arrest, Says ‘Democracy Cannot Coexist With Tyranny’

Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the arrest of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and several other citizens by the Nigeria Police during peaceful protests across the country.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, the Wazirin Adamawa described the arrest as “a new low and an open assault on democracy.”

> “I have just been informed of the arrest of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the Nigeria Police, as well as the arrest of several other citizens who were peacefully protesting in different parts of the country,” Atiku wrote.

He said he was shocked and disappointed that, in 2025, decades after Nigeria defeated military rule, the government still treats dissent as a crime.

> “Shocked that in 2025, decades after we defeated military rule, this government still treats dissent as a crime. Disappointed because those in power today once thrived on protests. But not surprised, for Bola Tinubu continues to show Nigerians exactly who he is and what he intends to be, if we allow him,” Atiku stated.

The former Vice President said Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom represented a grave assault on the rule of law and a disturbing sign of the Tinubu administration’s intolerance for opposing views.

He described the clampdown on peaceful protesters nationwide as “a stain on Nigeria’s democratic record.”

> “Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom is a grave symbol of this administration’s disdain for democratic values. The arrest of other peaceful protesters across the country only deepens the stain. Protest is not a crime; it is a constitutional right,” he added.

Atiku demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Sowore and others arrested during and after the protests, saying democracy cannot survive under intimidation and repression.

> “This government must end its persistent harassment of dissenting voices. Democracy cannot coexist with tyranny,” he said.

Atiku’s statement has since generated mixed reactions across the country, with many Nigerians describing his words as a timely call to defend the nation’s democratic values from creeping authoritarianism.