NIGERIA: Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to restrain members of his family, particularly his son Seyi, over his alleged attempt to interfere in the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Atiku, through his media aide Paul Ibe, said Nigeria should not be treated as “a private estate,” describing recent developments as a threat to democratic principles and civil liberties.
The statement titled; “Tinubu must call his family to order: Nigeria is not a private estate”, followed allegations by a factional president of NANS, Comrade Atiku Isah, who claimed that Seyi Tinubu attempted to bribe him with N100 million to endorse his father, Tinubu.
Isah, during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said the bribe attempt took place in Lagos and was followed by his alleged abduction and assault by thugs on April 15 after he rejected the offer.
“I could not endorse a president who had failed to deliver on his campaign promises,” Isah stated. He also alleged that after refusing the bribe, he was “assaulted, stripped, and abducted.”
Seyi Tinubu has since denied the allegations, saying he had never met Isah and accusing him of fabricating the story to smear his name.
Reacting to the development, Atiku Abubakar condemned the alleged attempt by the president’s son to exert control over NANS through coercion.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must urgently rein in his family members, particularly his son, Seyi Tinubu, who appears determined to purchase political loyalty for his father by any means necessary, including coercion, violence, and intimidation,” Atiku said.
He described the allegations made by Comrade Isah as “deeply alarming and strike at the core of democratic norms and civil liberty,” warning that such accusations against a member of the First Family were both “disturbing and dangerous.”
“Had this incident ended fatally, it would have been recorded among the growing list of atrocities committed by criminal elements in the country,” he stated. “That it is allegedly tied to the President’s own son makes it even more horrifying. What’s worse is the emerging suggestion that even top security officials are not beyond Seyi Tinubu’s overreaching influence — an unacceptable compromise of state institutions.”
Atiku warned against any effort to “subjugate” civil society organizations such as NANS through “threats, bribes, or brute force.”
“Nigeria is a democratic republic, not a monarchy handed down to one family,” he said.
The former vice president also dismissed claims that he was politically aligned with Comrade Isah, noting that their past meeting was focused solely on education reform and student welfare.
“Attempts to drag former Vice President Atiku Abubakar into this scandal by alleging a political alliance with Comrade Isah are baseless, malicious, and desperate,” the statement read. “Comrade Isah’s advocacy and public stance must be evaluated based on fact, not fiction.”
Atiku further called for an independent investigation into the allegations, expressing concern over possible complicity by security agencies.
“We issue a clear warning: nothing must happen to this young man. Any harm to him will not go unnoticed or unchallenged. Nigerians deserve truth, accountability, and a leadership that respects the rule of law — not a regime that weaponises power to silence dissent,” he added.
