He made this known in a statement on Monday titled “A Nation
Gripped in the Throes of Fear.”

Atiku said the Tinubu government was fast turning Nigeria
into a police state where citizens, journalists, and activists are harassed for
expressing dissent.

He condemned the use of the Cyberstalking Act to target
critics, describing it as “a modern tool of tyranny reminiscent of colonial
sedition laws,” and warned that “no government, no matter how powerful, is
greater than the people.”

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party accused Tinubu’s government of weaponising state institutions to suppress
opposition and of persistently disobeying court orders, saying such conduct
undermines democracy and the rule of law ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He also lamented the growing silence of institutions meant
to check executive excesses, noting that “parliament and oversight agencies now
appear more eager to praise than to question power.”

“There is a disturbing yet growing pattern by which the
administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to muzzle free speech
and, in so doing, erode the integrity of the democratic ethos that defines our
nation.

“It is a development that should trouble every Nigerian, for
if this creeping culture of repression continues unchecked, it will ultimately
turn the Federal Government into a bully and make subjects of free citizens.

“From journalists jailed for speaking truth to power to
citizens arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests, Nigerians continue to
suffer persecution simply for daring to think, to speak, or to protest. If
truth be told, this regime may have surpassed all its predecessors in the
reckless use of state power to crush public opinion.

“Since the inception of this administration, Amnesty
International has consistently faulted its human rights record. Other reputable
bodies, such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists and Media Rights Agenda, have
cried out against the jackboot oppression of journalists and citizens by state
agents whose only mission seems to be to stifle dissent.

“Today, President Tinubu and his government behave as though
they are sovereigns over the people. As they continue to suffocate dissent,
they also attempt to subdue opposition parties and silence every voice of
reason.

“Even institutions that should act as checks on executive
excesses, legislatures, oversight agencies, and the judiciary, have become mere
rubber stamps, their leaders tripping over themselves to sing the praises of a
president few dare to question.

“As a democrat and stakeholder in the opposition, I am
convinced that the 2027 general election will be a defining moment, a contest
not merely between parties but between the Tinubu hegemony and the will of the
Nigerian people.

“And history bears eternal witness to one truth: no despot,
no matter how powerful, has ever triumphed over the collective voice of a
determined people,” he stated.

This comes as activist Omoyele Sowore, lawyer Aloy Ejimakor,
and others were arrested last week over the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.

Sowore and others have been granted bail by an Abuja court
but remain remanded in prison.