The Tanimu Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing Nigeria as a “full authoritarian state” under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.

The party said the recent classification of Nigeria as a fully authoritarian regime by the Human Rights Foundation was a global confirmation of what Nigerians had been experiencing locally under the Tinubu administration.

The PDP stated this in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong.

The statement said the foundation’s latest global assessment confirmed the “faulty electoral process, absence of protection for dissent, erosion of democratic safeguards and the obvious collapse of checks and balances on the executive by critical national institutions.”

According to the party, the report, published on the foundation’s Tyranny Tracker platform, showed that Nigeria performed “abysmally low” on all the critical pillars of its assessment, indicating “a full descent into authoritarianism, which is incompatible with democratic tenets.”

It said the assessment parameters aligned with theoretical frameworks used to identify and condemn authoritarian regimes, including “the rule by a dictator and a small group, or a single party; the absence of institutional checks and balances; loss or apprehension of freedom of speech; opposition targeting; and weak and fake elections.”

The party said, “It does not take any high degree of intelligence for anybody to agree with the report, because all the indicators of authoritarianism are present in Nigeria, under this Tinubu regime.”

It cited the recent media attacks by officials of the administration against the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, the Catholic Church and Christianity generally as examples of what it described as the suppression of freedom of speech.

“This incident is one of many which eloquently attests to the absence of freedom of speech under this administration,” the statement said.

The party also criticised the National Assembly for allegedly failing to provide meaningful checks on the executive, questioning how an administration could fail to execute the Appropriation Act for three years and still receive commendation rather than condemnation from the legislature.

“A parliament that ignores or blatantly disrespects the country’s constitution and its own standing rules during critical legislative activities cannot offer credible oversight of the executive,” it said.

The PDP further alleged that the 2027 elections were being designed “as a mere formality,” rather than as a genuine opportunity for Nigerians to express their wishes through the ballot.

It called on the Tinubu administration to immediately take steps to de-escalate political tensions arising from actions allegedly linked to government officials and their proxies.

The party urged the government to halt what it described as the “continuous asphyxiation of the opposition,” the “clear weaponisation of security agencies against real and perceived opponents,” alleged increasing signs of partisanship by the electoral umpire and the “reckless deployment of combustible political rhetoric” by the President and his handlers.

“The President must realise that there are two contests embedded in the 2027 Presidential elections—the presidency and the country,” the statement said.

“An attempt to focus on winning the former at all costs may result in the loss of the latter; and only a free, fair, credible and peaceful contest can guarantee a win for both coveted prizes.”

The party urged Nigerians to continue demanding accountability from their leaders at all levels, describing this as “the irreducible minimum that democracy provides.”