Atiku Gives Scathing Response to Tinubu: "It's Not My Fault That You Can't Read"
- President Bola Tinubu was tackled over his criticism of former vice president Atiku Abubakar on privatisation when he was in office
- In a scathing response, the camp of the former vice president slammed President Tinubu for implementing a policy that he once criticised
- Phrank Shaibu, the spokesperson for the former vice president, said Tinubu's criticism exposed his troubling pattern of criticism
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria, has fired back at President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of hypocrisy, historical distortion and political desperation.
Phrank Shaibu, the senior special assistant on public communication to the former vice president, described Tinubu's recent remarks as a “reckless tirade”, adding that they exposed “a troubling pattern of hypocrisy and historical amnesia.”
Source: Twitter
Atiku replies to Tinubu's privatisation criticism
In the statement which was sent to Legit.ng on Friday, April 17, Atiku said he was astonished that a president who has been consistently questioned over his credentials, attempted to discredit others with records that are well-documented in the public.
The statement addressed the issue of privatisation raised by Tinubu, saying that the president's claim should be scrutinised, noting that the very policies Tinubu once opposed are now being implemented by his own administration.
Shaibu explained that Atiku Abubakar had long advocated the privatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the sale of refineries to credible private investors, a position Tinubu reportedly resisted at the time.
Tinubu criticises Atiku's record
Tinubu, on Thursday, April 16, while hosting the Renewed Hope Ambassadors led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday, April 16, said all the coalition leaders have a history, specifically referencing Atiku's tenure as the vice president.
Tinubu maintained that Atiku "was the chairman of the privatisation council of Nigeria at one time." He went further, alleging that Atiku not only privatised national assets that were no longer functional but also tried to privatise another man's political party, but the owner of the party resisted the move.
The president's statement reads in part:
"They privatised the steel industry in Delta. Is it working today? They privatised Ajaokuta. Is it working today? They privatised another man’s political party; that one says no."
Source: Getty Images
The 2027 coalition
Recall that Tinubu defeated Atiku and other opposition leaders in the 2023 presidential election. The former vice president has since vowed to prevent the president from securing re-election in 2027, calling on opposition leaders to form a united front.
This movement led to the formation of the coalition that has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in its bid to unseat President Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Speaking on the ADC and coalition, Binzak Azeez, a legal practitioner, who spoke with Legit.ng, said that "it seems a lot of Nigerians have decided that another set of the current typical political leaders from another party, like the ADC, should be elected in the 2027 election."
Labour Party declares Tinubu as consensus candidate
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu was endorsed by the Labour Party, the platform where Peter Obi contested the 2023 presidential election.
Abayomi Arabambi, the national vice chairman of the Labour Party for the South-West, announced the development in an interview on Thursday, April 16.
According to Arabambi, the agreement to endorse Tinubu's second-term ambition was done with the knowledge of Governor Alex Otti, the party's only governor.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
