The camp of former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu following the latter’s repeated verbal jabs at the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the coalition platform of the opposition.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Paul Ibe, spokesman for the Atiku Media Office, the group accused President Tinubu of abandoning governance to focus on petty political attacks, saying “attacking the opposition has now become his favourite pastime even while the country burns under his watch.”
The statement, released after the 14th All Progressives Congress (APC) meeting held in Abuja, condemned Tinubu for attempting to deflect attention from the failures of his administration by consistently targeting the ADC and the emerging Coalition of opposition forces.
“President Tinubu should first sort out the obvious rift between himself and Vice President Kashim Shettima and the broken Nigerian economy before poking his nose into the affairs of the ADC,” Ibe said.
The Atiku Media Office further accused the presidency of sponsoring internal crises within opposition parties using public resources, describing it as “a distraction by a man clearly overwhelmed by the mess in his own house.”
“We are fully aware that the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi within the Coalition were orchestrated by the presidency. Unfortunately for them, their divisive game has failed — the cracks have been sealed, and the Coalition stands stronger than ever,” the statement added.
Taking a broader swipe at the current administration, Atiku’s camp labeled the Tinubu-led APC government as “directionless, incompetent, and completely disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.”
They accused the president of abandoning his responsibilities amid rising insecurity, hunger, and economic hardship, choosing instead to focus on securing a second term in 2027 despite having “nothing to show for his 2023 mandate.”
The statement also alleged that state institutions, including anti-corruption agencies, are now being weaponized to harass opposition leaders and coerce them into joining the ruling party — part of what they claim is Tinubu’s plan to “force Nigeria into a one-party state.”
“But let the truth be told: Tinubu fears the Coalition. He knows it is the Coalition that will send him packing either back to Bourdillon or Iragbiji,” the statement concluded.
