NIGERIA: Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of avoiding direct accountability to Nigerians over the economic hardship of the past three and a half years, saying the President cannot seek another four-year mandate without explaining his administration’s record.
Atiku said Tinubu was relying on governors, ministers and politicians who had defected to defend his government ahead of the 2027 general elections rather than personally addressing Nigerians about their economic struggles.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice-president challenged Tinubu to explain what his administration had done to ease the suffering of citizens.
“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?” Atiku asked.
He said the President had spent three and a half years in office, during which many families had been forced to reduce their meals, delay medical treatment and struggle with the declining purchasing power of their earnings.
“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term,” he said.
Atiku challenged Tinubu to explain to struggling Nigerians why food remained unaffordable, pensioners could not afford their medicines and young people continued to struggle to secure decent jobs despite years of education and hard work.
“Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decent jobs,” he added.
The former vice-president also faulted the President’s reported concern about meeting the expectations of American creditors, arguing that the needs of Nigerians deserved equal urgency.
“Tinubu says American creditors cannot wait. Nigerians cannot wait either. They have bills to pay, children to feed and lives to rebuild. They deserve a President who treats their suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors,” Atiku said.
He further criticised Tinubu for assembling politicians to defend his administration, insisting that campaign surrogates could neither explain away the hardship experienced by citizens nor change the realities of rising living costs.
“Instead, he is assembling a crowd of politicians to speak for him. He can fill every campaign stage in Nigeria. He cannot fill an empty pot with surrogates. He cannot send a politician into a market to persuade prices to fall,” he said.
Atiku maintained that Tinubu, having received the mandate in 2023 and made the promises on which his administration was elected, must personally account for his decisions and performance.
“The people on his campaign council did not receive the mandate in 2023. Tinubu did. He made the promises. He took the decisions. He must face the questions,” he said.
He added that Nigerians would judge the President based on their experiences under his administration, regardless of the number of politicians campaigning on his behalf.
“Nigerians will hear whatever his surrogates have to say. But when they vote, they will remember what they have lived through. No crowd of politicians can stand between Tinubu and his record,” Atiku said.
