Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has castigated President Bola Tinubu for bullying and crushing opposition figures, describing his conduct as setting a “dangerous precedent” for future occupants of the nation’s highest office.

Days after APC spokesperson Felix Morka said Peter Obi of the Labour Party “crossed the line” and asked him to prepare for what is “coming to him” over the latter’s New Year message, Mr Abubakar excoriated Mr Tinubu for not knowing how to take critical feedback on his performance,

He cited the arrest and prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a Kaduna-based opinionated activist, whose constant criticisms of Mr Tinubu landed in a cell by secret service agents, as another evidence of Mr Tinubu’s strategy to silence critics.

Mr Abubakar said the activist’s arrest and the threat against Mr Obi does not bode well for the administration, which many have already perceived to be oppressive to dissenting voices.

The activist’s prolonged detention “adds to the growing concern about the erosion of freedoms in Nigeria.”

“If there is anyone who has truly ‘crossed the line,’ it is the Tinubu administration, whose continuous vilification of opposition figures as mere irritants to be crushed is a dangerous precedent,” the former vice-president said on Tuesday.

Mr Abubakar schooled Mr Tinubu on the rudiments of democracy, particularly that it “thrives on the healthy exchange of ideas, where the criticisms and contributions of opposition leaders” are vital in promoting accountability.

“Such language, rooted in hostility, has no place in a free society where civil discourse and engagement should reign supreme,” Mr Abubakar said in the statement.

Mr Obi alleged to have received threats to his life over his New Year “message of hope and encouragement knowing what we are all going through.”

Mr Abubakar asked APC’s Mr Morka to tender an apology to Mr Obi over his threat-laced remarks.