The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has attacked President Bola Tinubu, urging him to abandon what he described as political grandstanding and focus instead on addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges.
Reacting to Tinubu’s recent statement that he was prepared to “wrestle his opponents to the finish,” Atiku said the president’s remarks betrayed the desperation of a leader struggling under the weight of his administration’s failures.
In a statement on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described Tinubu as “a drowning man” attempting to distract Nigerians from what he called an abysmal record in office.
“Mr. President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku declared.
He was concerned that the president made the comment in response to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s request for credible, transparent, and peaceful elections, stating that the occasion demanded reassurance and statesmanship rather than confrontational rhetoric.
According to Atiku, Tinubu’s remark displayed the aloofness that has come to define his administration, as well as a lack of humility needed from a president addressing one of the country’s most revered religious institutions.
Rather than threatening political opponents, Atiku urged the president to focus his efforts on addressing inflation, food shortages, unemployment, insecurity, and the country’s economic deterioration.
“The president should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury. He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals.
“He should wrestle with the unemployment that has robbed an entire generation of hope. He should wrestle with an economy suffocating under policy inconsistency, reckless borrowing, and dwindling investor confidence,” he said.
The former vice president stated that governments with poor records often resort to political theatrics in an attempt to divert attention from public dissatisfaction.
“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances.
“They are interested in performance in government. Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira,” Atiku stated.
He also argued that the president’s biggest political challenge was not the opposition but the performance of his own administration.
“His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity, and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win,” he added.
He also reminded Tinubu that democratic elections are decided by voters, not political bravado.
“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. Governments earn another term through competence, compassion, and measurable results—not through combative rhetoric. In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,” he said.
He urged Tinubu to spend the remainder of his tenure confronting the country’s pressing challenges rather than engaging in what he described as unnecessary political battles.
“The Nigerian people are not looking for a wrestler. They are looking for a leader. History will not remember who shouted the loudest. It will remember who governed the best.”
Atiku’s statement follows President Tinubu’s remarks during an audience with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria in Abuja, where he reportedly declared that he would “wrestle” his political opponents “to the finishing point” in the 2027 general election.
Tinubu’s statement came as the bishops urged political leaders and institutions to guarantee credible, transparent, and peaceful elections.
