Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has said the threat against former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the  prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, signals a shift towards an authoritarian government which suffocates the rights of opposition voices.

The former presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who urged the intervention of men and women of goodwill, said   “The time has come to put an end to this stifling of voices that are crucial to the health of any functioning democracy.”

He also called on the APC to issue a formal apology to Obi and Nigerians for using disgraceful language and making intolerably reckless and derogatory expressions.

On Monday, Obi, in response to a remark by the APC spokesman, Felix Morka, that  he (Obi) has crossed the line by the way  he criticises the government, declared that his life and that of his family has been threatened.

On the other hand, a chief magistrate court sitting in Kaduna ordered the remand in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kaduna, of Shehu, who was earlier arrested by officers of the Department of State Services after he rebuffed calls to pull down videos he posted online claiming that President Bola Tinubu granted France the approval to set up a military base in northern Nigeria.

Reacting however, Atiku, in a statement he personally signed, said, “The inflammatory remarks issued by the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, directed at @PeterObi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, serve as a disturbing emblem of the current administration’s unsettling strategy in addressing opposition figures. This threat against Obi, coupled with the prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a prominent voice of dissent and others, signals a worrisome shift towards an authoritarian governance model, where the rights of opposition voices are being suffocated.”

He said the choice of words used by the APC’s spokesperson, particularly the ominous suggestion that Obi has “crossed the line,” revealed an alarming disdain for democratic principles.

“Such language, rooted in hostility, has no place in a free society where civil discourse and engagement should reign supreme. A true democracy thrives on the healthy exchange of ideas, where the criticisms and contributions of opposition leaders, like Peter Obi, are seen as vital for the betterment of governance and the promotion of public accountability.

“It is not merely the right, but the solemn duty of a democratic government to listen attentively to the voices of its critics, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to allow space for the articulation of alternative viewpoints. Instead, we are faced with a chilling threat that suggests Obi must “be ready for whatever comes his way.” What, exactly, does Mr. Morka imply by this? It is imperative that the ruling party provides clarity on this disturbing insinuation.

“Equally troubling is the crude and disparaging manner in which the APC spokesperson has framed Peter Obi’s calls for constructive engagement, likening them to a lawless Wild West scenario. Such reckless and derogatory expressions cannot be tolerated, and it is incumbent upon the APC to issue a formal apology to Obi and the Nigerian people for such disgraceful language.

“The case of Mallam Shehu, languishing in detention without any clear explanation for his continued imprisonment, adds to the growing concern about the erosion of freedoms in Nigeria. If there is anyone who has truly “crossed the line,” it is the Tinubu administration, whose continuous vilification of opposition figures as mere irritants to be crushed is a dangerous precedent.

“It is now time for all men and women of goodwill to intervene, urging the @officialABAT government to recalibrate its approach to dealing with dissent and opposition. The time has come to put an end to this stifling of voices that are crucial to the health of any functioning democracy,” he said.