Human rights lawyer, Barrister Elzubair Abubakar, says Nigeria “never had a leader as oppressive” as the current President Bola Tinubu, claiming that he has taken control of Nigeria’s security agencies, the electoral body and the judiciary.
Speaking in the Hausa language during a public address monitored by SaharaReporters, Abubakar accused the administration of using state institutions to suppress dissent and undermine democratic processes.
According to him, security agencies no longer serve the Nigerian people but instead work in the interest of President Tinubu.
“I swear to God, from those times up to Tafawa Balewa, through the military coups, through the time Obasanjo entered this current system, up to Muhammadu Buhari whom we complained about, I swear to God, Nigeria has never had a leader as oppressive as Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” Abubakar said.
The lawyer stated that anyone who criticises the president risks immediate arrest by security operatives.
“I am Elzubair Abubakar. All the Nigerian security agencies are not working for the country; they are working for Tinubu. And this is not an accusation. Right now, I am insulting Tinubu here. I swear, before I even reach that gate, you will see the SSS (State Security Service). You will see the police.
“They will not even ask you what the reason is. They will simply say you have insulted the nation. Is Tinubu the nation?” he asked.
Abubakar also accused the President of compromising the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that the electoral body now operates under the influence of the presidency despite its constitutional status as an independent institution.
“And it did not stop there, he also made sure to cripple the Independent Electoral Commission.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission. What I’m telling you now is that it belongs to the president’s pocket, only in name is it independent. Every Nigerian knows it is independent in name only. Otherwise, would these political parties even be having problems? They would not,” he said.
Turning to the judiciary, the human rights lawyer explained that judges who ought to safeguard democracy and uphold justice have also been brought under the control of the executive.
“More importantly, the judges who are supposed to ensure that these institutions I mentioned are not corrupted… if the judges stood firmly for truth and justice, I swear to God Nigeria would be moving in the right direction,” he said.
“But he overpowered even the judges, took control of all of them, and put them in his pocket. So if you have a court case on behalf of another political party, would you even trust them with it?”
Questioning the neutrality of state institutions, Abubakar argued that opposition political parties could no longer expect fair treatment from either the police or the electoral commission.
“Right now, based on what I have said, are you confident that the police will treat opposition parties fairly?
“Are you confident that this electoral commission, even though you can already see how it suppresses them? You saw what it did to the PDP.”
Citing an example of alleged disregard for judicial decisions, Abubakar referred to the leadership dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Even the Supreme Court said the Abuja minister’s (Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike) faction of the PDP is illegal. Yet if you go to Port Harcourt Crescent, where the electoral commission has its headquarters, and look at their board, what they call the portal, the names of those people are still there. That directly contradicts what the Supreme Court said.
“So how can anyone expect them to conduct a fair election?” he asked.
Abubakar’s remarks come amid continued political debates over the independence of democratic institutions, the conduct of security agencies and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process under the Tinubu administration.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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