Atiku says Tinubu is showing true colours with NDC deregistration

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has come out to say that Nigerians are finally seeing President Tinubu's real character following the deregistration of the National Democratic Coalition (NDC). Atiku made this statement yesterday and it is already generating serious debate online. He is basically saying that Tinubu's government is targeting opposition groups and that the NDC deregistration is proof that this administration does not tolerate dissent.

Now I have been following Nigerian politics long enough to know that when a government starts deregistering political associations and civil society groups, it is never a good sign. The NDC has been around since the Abacha days fighting for democracy and now suddenly they are being deregistered under the guise of technical violations. Atiku might be positioning himself for 2027 but that does not make his observation wrong.

The question we should all be asking is simple. If a government can deregister a group like NDC that fought for democracy when Tinubu himself was in exile, what stops them from coming for other organisations that speak truth to power? Be honest, are we watching democracy slowly die in Nigeria or am I overthinking this one?