A media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibeh, has accused President Bola Tinubu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly working to weaken opposition parties and undermine democracy in Nigeria.
Naija News reports that Ibeh made the allegation on Tuesday in a post on đť•Ź (formerly Twitter) amid the ongoing leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The remarks followed INEC’s decision to freeze recognition of the leadership of the ADC, including the faction led by former Senate President David Mark, pending the resolution of a court case over the party’s structure.
In his post, Ibeh claimed that recent comments by the Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, suggested that Nafiu Bala had emerged as the national chairman of the ADC.
He alleged that the development was influenced by the Presidency and the electoral commission.
Ibeh questioned what he described as a contradiction in INEC’s actions, noting that the electoral body had previously filed court processes challenging Bala’s eligibility to lead the party.
He asked what had changed since the earlier legal action.
“This is the same INEC that filed processes in court last year to show cause why Bala is not deserving of the Chairmanship of the ADC. What has changed since then?” he wrote.
The former vice president’s aide further accused the President and the INEC chairman of orchestrating what he described as a threat to democratic norms.
“Bayo Onanuga is posting on his 𝕏 account that Nafiu Bala is now the ADC Chairman because his Tinubu’s @NGRPresident and Amupitan’s @inecnigeria are in bed with Bala to annihilate the opposition and inevitably subvert Nigeria’s democracy,” Ibeh stated.
He added that the situation could signal a drift toward authoritarian rule.
“Tinubu and Amupitan are the ones cooking up the democratic faux pas. Our message to them is that this dictatorship may live, but not for very long. Does this remind you of another era in our recent history?” he wrote.
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