Tinubu must defend record before seeking re-election – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to defend his record in office before seeking re-election in 2027, accusing him of relying on governors, ministers and defectors to justify the hardship Nigerians have endured under his administration.

Atiku said Tinubu should personally explain to Nigerians why food remained unaffordable for many households, pensioners struggled to pay for medicines and young people continued to face difficulties securing decent jobs despite years of education.

Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Phrank Shaibu.

The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate was reacting to President Tinubu’s reported suggestion that he might miss some campaign rallies because of the demands of governing the country.

Atiku questioned the President’s explanation, arguing that the urgency he cited in attending to national affairs should have been evident when Nigerians were demanding relief from economic hardship.

“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?” he asked.

The ADC chieftain said the President had spent three and a half years in office, during which many households had been forced to reduce their meals, postpone medical care and contend with declining purchasing power.

“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term.

“Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decent jobs,” he said.

Atiku also faulted what he described as the President’s emphasis on foreign creditors and investors, arguing that the needs of Nigerians deserved equal urgency.

“Tinubu says American creditors cannot wait. Nigerians cannot wait either. They have bills to pay, children to feed and lives to rebuild. They deserve a President who treats their suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors,” he said.

The former vice president further criticised the President’s reliance on political allies to defend his administration, insisting that those seeking to justify his performance could not substitute for his personal accountability.

“Instead, he is assembling a crowd of politicians to speak for him. He can fill every campaign stage in Nigeria. He cannot fill an empty pot with surrogates. He cannot send a politician into a market to persuade prices to fall.

“The people on his campaign council did not receive the mandate in 2023. Tinubu did. He made the promises. He took the decisions. He must face the questions,” he added.

Atiku warned that Nigerians would judge the President on their lived experiences when they go to the polls in 2027, rather than on the arguments advanced by members of his campaign team.

“Nigerians will hear whatever his surrogates have to say. But when they vote, they will remember what they have lived through. No crowd of politicians can stand between Tinubu and his record,” he said.

The criticism comes as political parties and their presidential hopefuls intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the economy, the cost of living, employment and the impact of government policies expected to feature prominently in the campaign.

The Federal Government has defended its economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange regime, as necessary measures to stabilise the economy and improve public finances. However, the reforms have also attracted sustained criticism over their effects on transport costs, food prices and household purchasing power.

Atiku, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party, is now associated with the ADC-led opposition coalition seeking to challenge Tinubu in 2027.