Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has slammed President Bola Tinubu for taking a swipe at the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the opposition’s coalition platform.
Naijaonpoint reported that Tinubu took a subtle swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the newly formed coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Thursday, urging opposition politicians to defect and join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tinubu, while addressing the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling party in Abuja, said it was “not a bad idea” for politicians to defect from struggling opposition parties to the APC, which he described as a more stable platform.
“It’s not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” Tinubu stated, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled jab at the PDP and the ADC coalition led by former presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
In response, Atiku, in a statement through his Media Aide, Paul Ibe, urged Tinubu to mend his rift with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and focus on fixing the broken economy, rather than meddling in the affairs of the opposition.
Paul Ibe also accused Tinubu and his political camp of sponsoring crises within the opposition parties and the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
According to Atiku’s aide, while Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty, Tinubu is preoccupied with petty politics, having abandoned governance and fixated on a 2027 re-election campaign.
The statement reads, “At the 14th meeting of the APC today, President Bola Tinubu took yet another swipe at the
“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.”
“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 records 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.
“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.”