Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately release detained Nigerian critic Abubakar Salim Musa, accusing the Federal Government of intensifying repression against dissenting voices across the country, news.ng reports.

In a post on his X handle on Monday, Atiku said the arrest of Musa, as reported by Amnesty International Nigeria, reflects what he described as a troubling pattern of intolerance for criticism under the current administration.

“In the early evening of Sunday, January 11, 2026, the official X handle of Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) shared details of the arbitrary arrest of young Nigerian Abubakar Salim Musa,” Atiku stated.

According to the former vice president, Musa’s detention is emblematic of a broader clampdown on free expression. “This case is yet another stark example of the repressive nature of the President Bola Tinubu administration, which continues to bear its fangs against dissent, whether expressed through public protests or online criticism,” he said.

Atiku maintained that Musa committed no crime, stressing that his actions fell squarely within his constitutional rights. “Abubakar’s only ‘offence’ was his consistent and legitimate criticism of the deteriorating security situation in Northern Nigeria and across the country,” he noted.

He further faulted the government for failing to engage with the substance of such criticism, opting instead for coercion. “Rather than address these serious concerns, the government’s response has been to arrest him and subject him to what Amnesty describes as ‘bogus charges and a sham trial,’” Atiku said.

The former vice president warned that Musa’s case is not isolated, alleging a widening net of repression affecting various segments of society. “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Numerous Nigerians, including journalists, schoolchildren, entertainers, and even National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, have faced arrest, assault, and intimidation by the police and other security agencies simply for criticising the President or members of his family,” he said.

Atiku cautioned that such actions pose a grave threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundations. “This dangerous trend undermines the very foundations of democracy, which rest on the protection of fundamental human rights and freedom of expression,” he stated, adding that, “Nigeria cannot claim to be part of the free world while its citizens are routinely arrested, assaulted, and intimidated for voicing criticism of their government.”

With the country approaching another general election cycle, Atiku argued that fear and repression could cripple democratic participation. “As the nation approaches a critical general election, neither the people nor the opposition can operate effectively in an atmosphere of fear and repression,” he warned.

He therefore issued a direct demand to the Federal Government. “I therefore call on the Tinubu administration to immediately and unconditionally release Abubakar Salim Musa and all others detained for exercising their constitutional rights,” Atiku said.

Beyond the immediate release of detainees, Atiku urged a complete halt to what he described as a pattern of abuse. “I also urge the government to halt the ongoing pattern of arbitrary arrests and intimidation targeting critics, journalists, and opposition voices,” he added.

The 79-year-old Nigerian politician also appealed to the global community to take a stand. “I urge the international community, particularly countries and organisations that champion democracy and human rights, to hold the Tinubu regime accountable and demand an end to these violations,” he said.

Concluding his statement, Atiku called on Nigerians to resist what he sees as a steady erosion of civil liberties. “I encourage fellow patriots, civil society groups, and all Nigerians of conscience to join this demand and stand firmly against any further erosion of our freedoms,” he declared.

The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Monday accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of engineering crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Abdullahi claimed that the aim of the APC is to ensure that no other political party survives ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Featuring on AIT Focus Nigeria, Abdullahi said: “The crisis in Labour Party was engineered, the crisis in PDP was engineered, the crisis in all these parties were engineered.


“But why were these crises engineered? That is the question. These crises were engineered because the ruling party knows that in a free and fair contest, there is no way that they will win the election.

“Their best option is to give people no alternative going into the 2027 election, today PDP is no longer what it used to be.”

The ADC spokesman also declared that the opposition party has a solid legal backing.

He noted that what the APC did to PDP, NNPP and LP will not be allowed to happen by the ADC.

“ADC is on a solid legal ground, our team of lawyers took their time because we saw what this government did to PDP, LP, NNPP, because their plan is to ensure that no other political party survives apart from APC so hat by the time we arrive at 2027, people will be left with no choice regardless of what they did to the people,” he added.

……Insists PDP no longer Nigeria’s main opposition party

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has warned that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may become doomed and irrelevant if it fails to present former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.

Fayose made the remarks during an exclusive interview on Arise Television, where he described Obi as the only political figure capable of giving the ADC national relevance.

He argued that other political figures within the party lack the electoral appeal required to make a meaningful impact at the polls.


“Peter Obi is the life in ADC,” Fayose said. “I didn’t say there are no other human beings in ADC. I’m saying others are largely spent forces.”

The former governor argued that Obi’s political influence goes beyond party structures, noting that his popularity was clearly demonstrated during the 2023 general election when the Labour Party, previously regarded as fringe, won several seats in the House of Representatives on the back of Obi’s candidacy.

“When Obi went to Labour, Labour that was never known, people won elections to the House of Reps,” Fayose said, stressing that Obi’s emergence instantly transformed the party’s electoral fortunes.

Fayose maintained that Obi would attract significant support regardless of the platform he contests on, even suggesting that a little-known party could gain relevance solely by fielding the former Anambra governor.

“Let’s say Obi didn’t go to ADC. Let Obi go to another party. Let’s say Obi is in Accord… Obi is the only traction, Obi is the only meaning, Obi is the only factor,” he said.

However, Fayose was careful not to frame his comments as a prediction of electoral victory or defeat in 2027.

He said his argument was strictly about the ADC’s survival and relevance in the evolving political landscape.

“I’m not saying Obi will win this election. I’m not saying Obi will not win this election,” he said.

“But I’m telling you, even if they don’t field Obi, if ADC fails to field Obi, their case will be worse than their coming together.”

The former governor added that sidelining Obi would significantly weaken the party’s standing ahead of the polls, insisting that the ex-governor of Anambra remains central to any serious electoral ambition the ADC may have in 2027