Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu, urging him to abandon political grandstanding and instead confront Nigeria’s worsening economic and security crises. The exchange follows President Tinubu’s recent declaration that he was prepared to wrestle his political opponents to the finish ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku 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.
The former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress expressed concern that Tinubu made the combative remark while responding to a call by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for credible, transparent and peaceful elections. Atiku argued that the occasion required reassurance and statesmanship, not threatening rhetoric against political rivals. He said 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 opponents, Atiku said the president should channel his energy towards tackling inflation, food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity and the country’s economic decline. He urged Tinubu to 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.
Atiku argued 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.
He further contended 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.
Atiku also reminded the president 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 urged Tinubu to spend the remainder of his tenure confronting the country’s pressing challenges rather than engaging in 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.
Abuja Network News
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