By Emmanuel Kwada
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a searing critique of the Tinubu administration, calling it an “abysmal failure” and urging Nigerians to unite against what he describes as a government with “no achievements to stand on.”
Let me be unequivocal: freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights
In a statement released today, Atiku addressed the swirling political speculation surrounding his recent engagements and the defection of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), delivering a bold defense of democratic principles and a rallying cry for national survival.
The former vice president, who served from 1999 to 2007, began by acknowledging the flood of inquiries from Nigerians anxious to discern his stance amid the nation’s latest political upheaval.
“Let me be unequivocal: freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights,” Atiku declared. He emphasized that these rights, alongside the rule of law, credible elections, and accountability, form the bedrock of a functioning democracy. “Undermine any of these, and democracy itself begins to crumble,” he warned.
Atiku dismissed any bitterness over the defections, framing them as a natural feature of democratic politics.
“Defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again,” he stated, maintaining a tone of pragmatism. However, he took aim at critics who have attacked him for visiting former President Muhammadu Buhari, questioning the double standards at play. “Buhari is not only a former leader but a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape,” Atiku argued, recalling how opposition leaders consulted elder statesmen like Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida during the 2013 merger that birthed the APC. “So why is it now sacrilegious for me and other leaders to visit Buhari in Kaduna?”
The former vice president didn’t mince words when addressing what he called “hypocrisy and the politics of selective outrage.” He pointed to PDP leaders negotiating with President Bola Tinubu as “strategic alliances,” yet his own interactions with figures like Peter Obi, Nasir el-Rufai, or Buhari spark uproar. “Hypocrisy has never been this fashionable!” he quipped, exposing what he sees as inconsistency in political discourse.
Shifting focus to the broader crisis, Atiku painted a grim picture of Nigeria under Tinubu’s leadership. “The economy is in freefall. Inflation is choking the masses. Jobs are vanishing. Youth restiveness is surging to terrifying levels,” he said, capturing the mounting frustration of a populace he described as “not just tired — they are angry, and rightfully so.” He reframed the political struggle not as a partisan clash between APC, PDP, or Labour Party (LP), but as a unified stand: “Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering.”
Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of leaning on “chaos and division” as its sole strategy, lacking any substantive record to defend. “An incompetent captain does not only wreck his ship; he endangers the lives of everyone on board,” he cautioned, urging Nigerians to resist divisive tactics rooted in ethnicity, region, or religion. “These are tools of manipulation, designed to divide and conquer, used by those with nothing else to offer,” he added.
Calling for collective action, Atiku positioned the current moment as one of “collective survival,” imploring citizens to focus on the “real enemy” — the administration’s failures — rather than turning on one another. His statement, issued from Abuja, comes at a time of heightened political tension and economic distress, amplifying its resonance as both a critique and a call to arms.
As Nigeria braces for what Atiku termed “the coming political battle,” his words signal a refusal to be sidelined and a determination to shape the narrative ahead of future contests. Whether this marks the beginning of a broader opposition movement remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Atiku Abubakar is not stepping back quietly.
