The Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to rein in his family following an alleged attempt by his son, Seyi Tinubu, to influence the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS.
On Friday, the former vice president released a statement through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, warning that Nigeria should not be treated like personal property.
The statement was headlined ‘Tinubu Must Call His Family To Order: Nigeria Is Not A Private Estate.’
Comrade Atiku Isah, a factional president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, claimed on Wednesday in Abuja that Tinubu’s son tried to bribe him with N100 million in Lagos in exchange for publicly supporting the president.
Isah claimed he declined the offer because he couldn’t support a president who had not fulfilled campaign promises.
He also claimed that after rejecting the bribe, he was assaulted, stripped, and abducted by thugs on April 15.
Seyi denied any involvement in the alleged attack and accused Isah of fabricating the story to harm his reputation.
In his response, Atiku decried the purported attempt by the First Family to coerce and control NANS or any civil society group through threats, financial inducements, or violence.
He stated, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must urgently rein in his family members, particularly his son, Seyi Tinubu, who appears determined to purchase political loyalty for his father by any means necessary, including coercion, violence, and intimidation.
“The serious allegations made by the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students , Comrade Atiku Isah — alleging physical assault, abduction, and inducement at the hands of Seyi Tinubu — are deeply alarming and strike at the core of democratic norms and civil liberty. That such grave accusations are being levelled against a member of the first family is both disturbing and dangerous.
“Had this incident ended fatally, it would have been recorded among the growing list of atrocities committed by criminal elements in the country. That it is allegedly tied to the president’s own son makes it even more horrifying. What’s worse is the emerging suggestion that even top security officials are not beyond Seyi Tinubu’s overreaching influence — an unacceptable compromise of state institutions.
“It is intolerable that the first family would seek to subjugate the NANS — or any civil society group — through threats, bribes, or brute force. Nigeria is a democratic republic, not a monarchy handed down to one family.”
Atiku stressed that Isah’s advocacy and public position should be assessed based on facts, not falsehoods.
He added, “Well-meaning Nigerians must rise to speak out. The actions of the president’s family — specifically their rabid drive to consolidate political power through manipulation and fear — must be condemned unequivocally. We must remind them that the presidency is a public trust, not a private inheritance.
“Attempts to drag former Vice President Atiku Abubakar into this scandal by alleging a political alliance with Comrade Isah are baseless, malicious, and desperate. Atiku Abubakar’s meeting with Isah was centred solely on education reform and improving student welfare, which also includes institutions he founded, like the American University of Nigeria and AUN Academy.
“Comrade Isah’s advocacy and public stance must be evaluated based on fact, not fiction. The allegations of abuse he has made demand an independent investigation, especially since the very agencies meant to protect citizens appear complicit in his ordeal.
“We issue a clear warning: nothing must happen to this young man. Any harm to him will not go unnoticed or unchallenged.
“Nigerians deserve truth, accountability, and a leadership that respects the rule of law — not a regime that weaponises power to silence dissent.”
