Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned what he described as “the disgraceful and dangerous threat” issued by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against broadcaster, Seun Okinbaloye.
In a statement on Saturday, Atiku, through his media office, said it was reckless for a serving minister to publicly declare on live television that he wished to shoot a journalist over a professional opinion.
“This is not just reckless; it is a chilling signal of how far this government has descended into intolerance, lawlessness, and naked abuse of power.”
“It was not banter. It was a threat clear, direct, and deeply sinister.”
“When those entrusted with authority begin to speak the language of violence against the press, democracy itself is under attack.
“Wike’s outburst is not an isolated slip, but a symptom of a broader, more dangerous pattern under the administration of Bola Tinubu, a pattern where dissent is criminalised, criticism is met with hostility, and intimidation has become the default language of governance.
“In sane democracies, such a statement would trigger immediate resignation or dismissal. In today’s Nigeria, it is becoming frighteningly routine.
“What crime did Mr. Okinbaloye commit? He dared to warn against the creeping danger of a one-party state. For this, a minister of the republic responded not with reason, but with a threat of violence. Nothing captures the current state of governance more starkly.
“This is how democracies die, not only through stolen mandates or weakened institutions, but through the gradual normalisation of threats, fear, and the silencing of independent voices.
“We must ask: if a prominent journalist can be threatened so brazenly on national television, what protection exists for the ordinary Nigerian?”
The Atiku Media Office therefore said without equivocation, that this “reckless conduct is unacceptable and must not be allowed to stand. We therefore demand an immediate and unconditional public apology from Nyesom Wike to Seun Okinbaloye and the entire Nigerian media community.
“A clear and public repudiation of this dangerous rhetoric by the administration of Bola Tinubu. Concrete assurances for the safety and protection of journalists across Nigeria.”
Atiku said anything short of this will confirm what many Nigerians already fear—that this government is not merely intolerant of dissent, but increasingly comfortable with the language and instruments of repression.