HRF Report: Nigeria now full authoritarian state — APM
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has cited a report by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) to declare that Nigeria is now a ‘full authoritarian state’, calling for international sanctions against officials allegedly undermining democracy and urging Nigerians to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
The party said the warning was no longer about ordinary political disagreements, alleging that democratic institutions, security and anti-corruption agencies and the courts were being deployed against opposition parties and dissenting voices, while citizens were increasingly losing confidence in the country’s democratic system.
APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, made the position known in a statement on Sunday, saying the party’s earlier warnings about what it described as authoritarian tendencies had been reinforced by the HRF’s Tyranny Tracker report.
“The report confirms APM’s position that under President Tinubu, Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and democratic institutions have been captured by executive authoritarianism,” Yusuf said.
The party called on the United Nations, European Union, African Union, Commonwealth, United States, United Kingdom, France and other international partners to intervene diplomatically, including through visa bans, asset freezes and other measures against Nigerian officials it accused of undermining democracy.
APM also alleged that security agencies had been used to suppress protests and criticism, with citizens allegedly killed, beaten, arrested, detained or charged with treason.
It further claimed that more than 628,000 Nigerians had been killed and 2.2 million abducted during the period under review, amid continued attacks by terrorists on communities.
On press freedom, the party alleged that about 100 journalists had been brutalised or detained while covering pro-democracy protests or engaging in critical reporting.
“Today in Nigeria, freedom of expression and the media have been suppressed with about 100 journalists brutalized and detained by authorities for covering pro-democracy protests or critical reporting,” it said.
The APM also accused the government of restricting opposition parties by allegedly using security agencies to intimidate, harass, detain and prosecute opposition leaders, while denying them access to venues for political mobilisation.
It alleged that in some APC-controlled states, opposition parties were also being denied access to media platforms and prevented from erecting campaign billboards.
The party’s concerns extended to the electoral process, with APM questioning the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It accused INEC, under its chairman, Prof. Josiah Amupitan, of undue interference in the internal affairs of opposition parties and alleged refusal to obey court orders favourable to them.
“Currently, majority of Nigerians have lost hope in the integrity of INEC as presently constituted, to conduct credible general elections that will reflect the Will of the people in 2027,” the party said.
APM also accused the APC-led National Assembly of failing to adequately check executive power, describing it as a “rubber stamp” for the administration.
On the economy, the party said Nigerians and businesses were facing mounting pressure from multiple taxes, indirect levies and revenue-collection practices it described as harassment.
It warned that the combination of insecurity, economic hardship and what it described as shrinking democratic space could produce a wider crisis, with consequences for Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
“The APM is worried that the current situation in Nigeria, if not addressed, might lead to a crisis of monumental proposition capable of derailing our nation’s democracy and triggering a large-scale humanitarian disaster,” Yusuf said.
The party urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, opposition parties, the media and other organised groups to unite against what it described as authoritarianism, while insisting that resistance must remain within the law.
It urged Nigerians to make the 2027 general elections a decisive opportunity to change the government and elect what it described as a truly democratic and people-oriented administration on the APM platform.
“Nigerians must use the 2027 general elections as a decisive opportunity to vote in a truly democratic and people-oriented government on the platform of the APM,” the party said.
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