Breaking: Atiku Tells Tinubu What He Should Do With Opposition Parties Before 2027 Election
- Atiku Abubakar fired back at President Tinubu after the president vowed to 'wrestle his opponents to the finish' during a meeting with Catholic bishops
- The former vice president said Tinubu's fighting talk came at the worst possible time, with millions of Nigerians struggling to afford food
- Atiku warned that in 2027, Nigerians will deliver a 'constitutional verdict' at the polls rather than in any political wrestling ring
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to shift his focus from fighting political opponents to tackling the cost-of-living crisis, insecurity, and unemployment that have defined his time in office.
This was contained in statement sighted by Legit.ng on Wedneday, July 29, signed by Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Source: UGC
The statement was, however, in response to remarks Tinubu reportedly made during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, where the president declared he would "wrestle his opponents to the finish."
Atiku described the comment as deeply inappropriate given the setting, saying it showed a troubling absence of humility and statesmanship when engaging one of the country's most respected moral institutions.
He said the bishops had simply asked for credible, transparent and peaceful elections, and the president's response revealed how disconnected the administration had become from ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku lists what Tinubu should 'wrestle' instead
Rather than targeting opponents, Atiku said the president should be grappling with the real battles facing the country.
"Mr. President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents," Atiku said.
He said Tinubu ought to be focused on bringing down inflation, tackling hunger, restoring security, stabilising the naira and rebuilding trust in government.
"The President should 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 leaders who have little to show for their time in office tend to fall back on loud rhetoric as a distraction.
"Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira," he said.
Atiku warns Tinubu ahead of 2027
The former vice president said Tinubu's most formidable opponent is not the African Democratic Congress or any other party, but his own governing 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," Atiku said.
He reminded the president that re-election in a democracy is won through competence and measurable results, not combative posturing.
"In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict," he added.
Atiku urged Tinubu to use the remaining time in his tenure addressing Nigeria's worsening crises, closing with the warning that history remembers those who governed well, not those who spoke loudest.
Atiku slams Tinubu
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu's administration over figures showing the Federal Government overshot its 2024 borrowing limit by ₦4.79 trillion, bringing total fresh borrowing to ₦12.62 trillion. Former Vice President said the Budget Office, the Federal Government borrowed 61.2 per cent above what the National Assembly approved.
Beyond that, an additional ₦3.19 trillion was obtained under the label of "budget support," despite no such line existing in the approved budget and no disclosed source for the funds.
Source: Legit.ng
