Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a scathing attack on 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 Tuesday declaration 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 issued 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 expressed concern that the President made the comment while responding to a call by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for credible, transparent and peaceful elections, arguing that the occasion required reassurance and statesmanship rather than combative rhetoric.
According to Atiku, Tinubu’s response reflected the aloofness that has come to define his administration and demonstrated a lack of humility expected of a president addressing one of the country’s most respected religious institutions.
Rather than threatening political opponents, Atiku said the President should channel his energy towards tackling inflation, food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity and the country’s economic decline.
