2027: Govt Capable Of Forging Laws Cannot Be Trusted With Free, Fair Election -Atiku
By Sunday Etuka
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has stated that a government capable of forging or tampering with laws cannot be trusted to conduct free and fair elections in 2027.
Atiku who stated this in his New Year Message to Nigerias on Thursday, berated President Bola Tinubu for his refusal to allow due legislative and legal processes to address the recent alleged alterations to the tax reform laws.
Describing the alterations as criminal acts, the VP submitted that a government that begins reform with forgery cannot end with prosperity.
He alleged that the nation’s democratic foundations were deliberately weakened in 2025, as the APC worked systematically to deform the nation’s multiparty democracy into a de facto one-party state through coercion, intimidation, and state capture.
Atiku said while drowning the nation in debt, the government falsely claimed to have met revenue targets.
“Meanwhile, insecurity worsened dramatically. Kidnappings, abductions, and violent crimes surged, affecting citizens young and old alike.
“Lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and communities terrorized, while government assurances rang hollow,” he added.
According to him, the administration spoke endlessly of economic recovery, yet unemployment, underemployment, labour unrest, and collapsing small businesses defined the year.
“Industries shut down. Workers were sent home. Hunger spread. Suffering became normalized,” he submitted.
He said despite these failures, compounded by the appointment of undistinguished and unfit individuals to represent Nigeria abroad, the country survived, not because of government competence, but because of the resilience of its people.
He urged Nigerians to remain steadfast in the face of these hardships, saying “This is one of the most painful New Year messages I have ever written, fully aware of the despair confronting millions due to the callous and soulless policies of the Tinubu-led APC government.”
“Still, we must not surrender to despair. These hardships must become the fuel for national awakening. Democracy gives the people the power to change a failing government, peacefully and decisively, through the ballot.
“Do not allow religion or ethnicity to divide you. Division only serves those who benefit from your suffering. Unity is the path to rescue.
“The so-called anti-corruption crusade of this government is a facade; selective, vindictive, and politically motivated. It has become a tool for persecuting opposition figures rather than cleansing the system,” he said.
