Abubakar, who is also the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), told a news conference on Monday in Abuja that “this latest action by General Muhammadu Buhari falls squarely within the pattern of executive lawlessness that has now been firmly turned into statecraft by the government”.

He noted the universal condemnation of this unlawful act by all Nigerians as well as the international community and stated that “the serial disregard of court orders, and consequent violation of constitutionally guaranteed human rights of our citizens confirms beyond all doubt that General Buhari and his government would rather obey their own whims and operate by separate rules outside the well-established constitutional order and the rule of law’’.

He warned that “no mission or goal, no matter how noble or well-intended, should be used as a pretext for the subversion of our democracy and our democratic institutions”.

According to him, to create a condition that allows the constitution and the rule of law to become secondary to any other agenda is to pave the way for tyranny.

He noted that History is replete with odious dictators whose path to dictatorship started with statements of good intentions and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant in defence of democracy.

Abubakar recalled how the government has serially assaulted the National Assembly, a separate arm of government and with this attack on the judiciary, “General Buhari has set a new precedent in our democracy that has no equivalence in our history, not even in the darkest days of military dictatorship. This cannot be allowed to stand”.

He warned the ruling All Progressive Congress government to desist from taking actions that may push us further down the slippery slope towards a major constitutional crisis that could derail the electoral process.

Abubakar urged President Buhari to remember that he was a beneficiary of a free and fair election and should therefore, a matter of honour, allow a political environment and process that give confidence to everyone.

He expressed gratitude to the international community for standing by Nigeria in this challenging time.

Abubakar urged Nigerians to resist tyranny and protect democracy in the country as well as seize the opportunity of the coming general elections to vote in defence of democracy and the rule of law.