A civil society group has alleged that a fresh crackdown is being planned against key opposition figures, warning that the development could further inflame political tensions and undermine democratic norms in the country.
The organisation claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi are among prominent opposition figures allegedly marked for arrest.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group’s coordinator, Adekunle Adebayo, said the alleged plan has generated fear within opposition circles and may be part of a wider strategy to weaken opposition parties and entrench what he described as a de facto one-party system.
Adebayo alleged that the planned arrests are tied to a covert, multi-agency security directive purportedly coordinated from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
According to him, the operation is allegedly being executed through a task force comprising anti-corruption, intelligence and financial crime agencies.
The group further alleged that the strategy includes selective law enforcement, prolonged detention without charges, pressure on politically exposed persons to defect to the ruling party, disruption of lawful opposition meetings, deliberate factionalisation within opposition parties and the use of prolonged litigation to exhaust opposition resources.
Speaking under the platform “Bí a bá pa ìtàn mọ́, ìtàn á pa wa” - meaning “When truth is suppressed, it eventually destroys those who suppress it” - the organisation also claimed that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, Kashim Imam and other notable political figures are being targeted.
It said the alleged plot followed earlier arrests and detentions of political figures, including former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami and former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige.
The group described the reported plan to arrest El-Rufai as particularly alarming, noting that his administration has been under investigation for over two years without any established evidence of personal wrongdoing, despite what it described as sustained scrutiny.
Warning against the alleged actions, the organisation said carrying them out would amount to serious violations of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), including infringements on the rights to personal liberty, freedom of association and expression, equality before the law and judicial independence.
It stressed that the selective application of law enforcement based on political affiliation is incompatible with constitutional democracy and poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democratic stability.
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