Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government against what he called departure from constitutional due process to tendencies of authoritarianism.
The ex-VP who is a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement on Monday by his Media Office to mark the 25th anniversary of June 12, said there is a growing culture of arbitrariness in some of the institutions of government at all levels.
He said the very foundation of a democratic society is the guarantee of fundamental human rights that gives the citizenry the freedom of speech, movement and the ability of the people to belong to any lawful association that they deem inclined.
"Today, across our major cities and even in the hinterlands, citizens – especially the youth – can hardly walk freely in open avenues without the police stopping them to search through the content of their mobile handsets.
"Civil servants now lose their jobs just because they choose to criticize politicians in government positions. There are even suggestions in some quarters that civil servants should be barred from signing to social media networks.
"Opposition politicians are regularly being hounded on wanton criminal and civil prosecutions. All of these narratives have become a consistent pattern of behaviour that is antithetical to an open and democratic society.
"In many of the states across the country, there is a reign of fascism with governors who have suddenly become overlords dealing ruthlessly with anyone who dares to challenge their ruthless foothold of intimidation and oppression," he said.
He called on all political actors to let June 12 and all that it embodies, inspire them to promote democratic principles, especially as Nigeria is about to go to the polls in 2019.