The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians to use the 2025 Democracy Day as a rallying point to resist what it described as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s “dangerous slide toward dictatorship and one-party rule.”
In a strongly worded statement PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, warned that Nigeria’s democracy is under serious threat, accusing the APC-led government of systematically dismantling democratic institutions and civil liberties through compromised state apparatus.
“The APC is using compromised state institutions to erode justice, violate the Constitution, suppress opposition voices, manipulate electoral processes, and weaponize poverty in an attempt to subjugate the people and convert Nigeria into the private estate of a select few,” Ologunagba stated.
The opposition party alleged collusion between the executive, a “rubber stamp” National Assembly, and certain judicial officers, accusing them of undermining transparency and weakening the constitutional separation of powers.
“The subversion of the will of the people in the 2024 Edo governorship election and the unconstitutional removal of a democratically elected government in Rivers State to install a sole administrator clearly shows Nigeria is sliding towards totalitarianism,” the statement added.
The PDP maintained that June 12 a day set aside to honour the democratic struggle symbolised by Chief MKO Abiola now serves as a reminder of the APC’s betrayal of those ideals.
“June 12 represents the collective insistence by Nigerians for justice, credible elections, freedom, equity, and transparency all of which have been eroded under the APC administration,” the party said.
It further accused the Tinubu administration of ruling through deception, impunity, and political repression, warning that Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy is in jeopardy unless urgent corrective measures are taken.
“The APC must honour the memory of Chief Abiola by promoting credible elections, press freedom, and people-oriented governance, instead of deepening poverty and manipulating narratives,” the PDP insisted.
The party called on institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Assembly, and the judiciary to assert their independence and act in the interest of Nigerians, not partisan agendas.
While congratulating Nigerians on this year’s Democracy Day, the PDP urged citizens to remain law-abiding but alert, and to unite behind the party’s efforts to reclaim power in 2027.
“This Democracy Day, we call on Nigerians, democratic institutions, civil society, and development partners to resist the APC’s authoritarian drift and join us in the mission to rescue our country,” the statement concluded.