Former Vice President and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly intervening in the affairs of opposition parties rather than addressing Nigeria’s deteriorating economic and security challenges.
The comment was contained in a statement signed by Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, following Tinubu’s latest jab at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) during the 14th APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
The statement accused President Tinubu of exploiting government resources and institutions to undermine opposition parties, portraying his activities as a desperate attempt to push Nigeria towards a one-party system.
It further accused Tinubu of being unduly focused on winning re-election in 2027 whileignoring his obligations as president and the daily sufferings of regular Nigerians.
The statement read, “President Tinubu should first resolve the visible rift between himself and Vice President Kashim Shettima and fix Nigeria’s broken economy before meddling in the affairs of the ADC.
“It is baffling that the presidency is spending scarce public funds to fuel internal divisions in an attempt to weaken alternative political voices.”
It further claimed that the administration was responsible for conflicts between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi inside the opposition alliance, claiming that the effort had failed.
“We are fully aware that the supposed disagreements between supporters of Atiku and Peter Obi within the Coalition were deliberately stirred up by the presidency. Sadly for them, that divisive tactic has failed. The cracks have been mended, and the Coalition is now stronger than ever,” the statement added.
Atiku also criticised Tinubu’s administration for being incompetent and out of touch with Nigerians’ real problems.
He accused the APC-led administration of being ‘directionless, incompetent, and entirely divorced from the suffering of regular Nigerians,’ citing increases in insecurity, hunger, and poverty as indications of failure.
“While Nigerians face growing insecurity, hunger,, and poverty, Tinubu is busy playing petty politics. He has abandoned governance and is instead obsessed with his 2027 re-election ambitions, even though he has nothing to show for the 2023 mandate,” the statement said.
The former vice president further accused the president of utilising anti-corruption agencies and other state institutions to bully and coerce opposition leaders into joining the APC.
“Tinubu is now using state institutions, especially anti-corruption agencies, to harass and blackmail opposition leaders into defecting to the APC. But the truth is, Tinubu fears the Coalition. He knows it is this coalition that will remove him from office, whether it’s back to Bourdillon or Iragbiji,” the statement declared.
Atiku asked Tinubu to put aside political distractions and concentrate on fixing Nigeria’s serious problems.
The statement reaffirmed the opposition coalition’s commitment to providing Nigerians with a credible alternative to the APC-led government.
