The former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to focus on “fixing the economic woes of the country and stop interfering in the affairs of the opposition.”
At the 14th meeting of the APC on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu took yet another swipe at the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the opposition’s coalition platform.
While welcoming and inviting defecting members of opposition parties to join the governing APC President Tinubu said, “It is not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship or stay away from coalition of confusion”.
The President spoke in his address at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC, held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Responding, Atiku said that “attacking the opposition has now become his favourite pastime — even while the country burns under his watch. This constant attack on the opposition is “a distraction by a man clearly overwhelmed by the mess in his own house.”
He said that President Tinubu should first sort out the obvious rift between himself and Vice President Kashim Shettima and the broken Nigerian economy before poking his nose into the affairs of the ADC.
“We wish to state for the record that Tinubu and his political camp have been sponsoring crises within the opposition parties. It beats our imagination as to why the presidency is resorting to wasting scarce public funds to stir up internal conflicts in a bid to weaken alternative political voices,” he said, adding that
“We are fully aware that the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi within the Coalition were orchestrated by the presidency. Unfortunately for them, their divisive game has failed – the cracks have been sealed, and the Coalition stands stronger than ever.”
“It’s alarming that more than halfway into his controversial and widely rejected mandate, Tinubu is still leading an APC government that is directionless, incompetent, and completely disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
“While Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty, Tinubu is busy playing petty politics. He has abandoned governance and is fixated on a 2027 re-election campaign despite having nothing to show for his 2023 mandate.
“Rather than wipe out the bandits ravaging Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Niger, and other states, Tinubu is more interested in wiping out opposition voices. His goal is clear: to force Nigeria into a one-party state.
“He is now using state institutions — especially anti-corruption agencies — as tools to harass and blackmail opposition leaders into joining the APC. But let the truth be told: Tinubu fears the Coalition. He knows it is the Coalition that will send him packing — either back to Bourdillon or Iragbiji.”
