Former PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has fired a critical warning at President Bola Tinubu, insisting that handouts like rice and spaghetti cannot guarantee victory in the 2027 elections.
In a statement titled “Rice, Spaghetti Can’t Save You: Atiku To Tinubu,” released on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that food distributions cannot replace public trust or determine electoral outcomes.
“Bags of rice, spaghetti, and Indomie may offer temporary relief, but they cannot secure legitimacy at the ballot box,” Atiku said.
He accused the Tinubu administration of consolidating power while shrinking democratic space, warning that fear, not confidence, drives its growing dominance.
“At a time when over 30 state governors have been drawn into the ruling party’s orbit, Nigerians are witnessing a growing pattern of actions that suggest not strength, but fear—fear of credible opposition, fear of free competition, and fear of the Nigerian voter,” he stated.
Highlighting the government’s tightening grip on institutions, Atiku said this control has not built trust but rather anxiety among citizens.
“Despite this overwhelming dominance, there remains a visible anxiety about the opposition and, more importantly, about the Nigerian people,” he said.
Atiku also criticised alleged attempts to weaken opposition parties through internal crises and judicial interventions.
“Court processes have, in critical moments, produced outcomes that blur legal hierarchy and create confusion rather than clarity.
“There is a growing resort to crass and reckless detention orders targeted at opposition figures,” he said.
Warning of a drift toward one-party dominance, Atiku cautioned that Nigeria risks undermining democracy if the current trajectory persists.
“If the current trajectory continues, Nigeria risks sliding into a system where elections exist in name, but competition is effectively neutralised,” he said.
Urging Nigerians to safeguard the electoral process, Atiku stressed that leadership must reflect the will of the people, not the manipulation of institutions.
“Leadership must never be so secure that it avoids contest. Why is a government with such vast control still afraid of a free and fair election? Nigeria deserves an answer. And Nigerians deserve a choice,” he added.
