The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State, describing the former presidential candidate as a “serial election loser”.
Atiku had on Saturday accused President Tinubu of making “merry” in Plateau State while the nation grappled with persistent insecurity.
In a statement, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate said it was a sad reflection of priorities that the President attended a social event hosted by the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, instead of visiting grieving families in the state.
Tinubu was in Jos, the Plateau State capital, for the funeral of Lydia Yilwatda, mother of APC national chairman.
“With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Bola Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with the grieving citizens.
“Today, however, the President suddenly remembered Plateau State, one of the most terrorized parts of the North Central, not to share in the people’s pain, but to attend a social event under the auspices of his party’s national chairman,” Atiku said.
“The message could not be clearer: this is a President who would rather feast than feel—a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain,” he added.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday signed by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, the Lagos APC described Atiku’s comments as “mischievous,” insisting that Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State was a show of compassion and solidarity with a grieving Nigerian family.
“Only a man blinded by bitterness and political envy would seek to twist such a solemn event for cheap propaganda.
“Atiku’s statement betrays not just poor judgment but also moral bankruptcy. This is the same man who, during his years in public office, looked away as insecurity festered under his own party’s misrule,” Oladejo said.
The party accused Atiku and the PDP of laying the foundation for Nigeria’s current security challenges through corruption and weak governance.
It maintained that Tinubu has shown proactive leadership by strengthening security institutions, improving intelligence-led operations, and promoting collaboration among security agencies.
“Atiku’s rapid and consistent descent into a political laughing stock is pitiable. His handlers will do well to salvage whatever remains of his reputation before it completely evaporates. He is a classic case of not how long but how well – a sobering lesson for budding politicians who mistake longevity for relevance. Atiku ought not to take his frustration to such a ridiculous level,” the statement added.
The Lagos APC further described Atiku as a man who hops from one political party to another in his quest for power, adding that Nigerians have long rejected his brand of politics.
Oladejo urged the former vice president to focus on enjoying his “forced retirement” from politics.
“It is laughable that Atiku, who hops from one political platform to another in his unending and fruitless quest for power, now attempts to lecture a performing President on empathy and governance. Nigerians have long rejected his brand of opportunistic politics rooted in deceit and desperation,” Oladejo said.
“We advise Atiku to focus on enjoying his forced retirement from politics and reflect on how he squandered multiple chances to serve the nation meaningfully, rather than throwing stones at a leader who is working tirelessly to rebuild what his party destroyed.”
