Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described President Bola Tinubu as “incompetent” in his New Year message to Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Atiku said 2025 was “one of the most punishing years in our recent history,” citing “economic suffocation, political recklessness, and governance without empathy” under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The past year exposed, in stark terms, the incompetence and policy bankruptcy of President Bola Tinubu. Governing for months without a functional budget, the administration relied on propaganda while borrowing recklessly, pushing the nation to the brink of economic collapse,” the statement reads.
“In the same year, Nigeria’s democratic foundations were deliberately weakened, as the APC worked systematically to deform our multiparty democracy into a de facto one-party state through coercion, intimidation, and state capture.
“While drowning the nation in debt, the government falsely claimed to have met revenue targets. Meanwhile, insecurity worsened dramatically. Kidnappings, abductions, and violent crimes surged, affecting citizens, young and old alike.
“Lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and communities terrorised, while government assurances rang hollow. The administration spoke endlessly of economic recovery, yet unemployment, underemployment, labour unrest, and the collapse of small businesses defined the year. Industries shut down. Workers were sent home. Hunger spread. Suffering became normalised.”
The former vice-president said the government repeatedly urged Nigerians to make sacrifices, while leaders continue to live extravagantly, insulated from the suffering of the people, adding that leadership without shared pain is exploitation.
He said small businesses, the backbone of job creation, are collapsing while workers are losing jobs as those in power prioritise comfort over empathy.
“The arrogance of this administration is unprecedented. Its contempt for public opinion, its hostility to criticism, and its willingness to punish Nigerians through bad policies reveal a government fundamentally hostile to the people,” he said.
“Never in our recent history have we seen an administration so openly dismissive of public sentiment, so casual in breaking laws, and so reckless with democratic norms.”
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) further criticised the government’s anti-corruption efforts, describing them as selective and politically motivated.
Atiku asked Nigerians to be steadfast and united despite the economic situation, adding that the 2027 elections will provide the opportunity to vote out bad leaders.
