By James Adamu
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Nigeria as a “full authoritarian state” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, citing a recent international assessment that classified the country as a fully authoritarian regime .
In a statement issued on Saturday by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP said the Human Rights Foundation’s latest global assessment merely confirmed what Nigerians had been experiencing locally under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government .
The report, published on the foundation’s Tyranny Tracker platform, showed that Nigeria performed “abysmally low” on all critical assessment pillars, indicating “a full descent into authoritarianism, which is incompatible with democratic tenets”.
The PDP noted that the foundation’s assessment parameters aligned with theoretical frameworks used to identify authoritarian regimes, including “rule by a dictator and a small group, or a single party; the absence of institutional checks and balances; loss or apprehension of freedom of speech; opposition targeting; and weak and fake elections” .
“It does not take any high degree of intelligence for anybody to agree with the report, because all the indicators of authoritarianism are present in Nigeria, under this Tinubu regime,” the party stated .
Alleged Suppression of Dissent
The faction cited recent media attacks by administration officials against Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria as examples of what it described as suppression of free speech .
“This incident is one of many which eloquently attests to the absence of freedom of speech under this administration,” the statement said .
The PDP also criticised the National Assembly for allegedly failing to provide meaningful checks on the executive, questioning how an administration could fail to execute the Appropriation Act for three years and still receive commendation rather than condemnation from the legislature.
The party further alleged that the 2027 elections were being designed “as a mere formality,” rather than as a genuine opportunity for Nigerians to express their wishes through the ballot .
It called on the Tinubu administration to immediately de-escalate political tensions arising from actions linked to government officials and their proxies, urging a halt to what it described as the “continuous asphyxiation of the opposition” and the “clear weaponisation of security agencies against real and perceived opponents” .
“The President must realise that there are two contests embedded in the 2027 Presidential elections—the presidency and the country,” the statement warned. “An attempt to focus on winning the former at all costs may result in the loss of the latter; and only a free, fair, credible and peaceful contest can guarantee a win for both coveted prizes” .
The PDP urged Nigerians to continue demanding accountability from their leaders at all levels, describing this as “the irreducible minimum that democracy provides” .
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