Atiku to Tinubu: You can’t light fire of hardship, then blame your neighbours for the smoke

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described President Bola Tinubu’s claim that the opposition created hunger and poverty as a shameless attempt to dodge responsibility for the “misery his own government has inflicted on Nigerians”.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku likened the President’s utterance at his campaign rally to a situation where a person sets up fire, then turns around to blame his neighbours for the smoke.

“Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia. The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years. Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record.

“The hardship your administration has brought upon Nigerians is real. You cannot deny it by blaming others.

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“Your decision to commission the unfinished Abuja to Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium shows how far removed you are from the daily reality of Nigerians. A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“Which administration removed the petrol subsidy and watched the naira fall from about ₦471 to ₦1,329 to the dollar?

“Which administration has presided over a rise in poverty that led the World Bank to estimate that 63 per cent of Nigerians will be below the national poverty line in 2026? Which administration extended the 2024 budget into 2025 while also operating a separate 2025 budget?

“Which administration recorded ₦7.13 trillion under ‘energy security’ in 2024 and faces questions over ₦11.2 trillion in NNPC pipeline related spending? Nigerians deserve to know who received these sums and what was delivered.

“Which administration must explain the $12.4 billion gap flagged in Nigeria’s external accounts for the first half of 2026? Which administration paid $22.5 million in ‘other charges’ on the Abu Dhabi financing facility?

“Which administration is responsible for the killings, kidnappings and displacement that continue to terrorise communities? These are the questions Nigerians are asking while your government blames the opposition.

“You cannot govern for three years, make life harder, and then blame others for describing the hardship. You asked who created the hunger. Nigerians are asking what you have done to end it.

“The people will judge your government by the lives they are living, not by the excuses you offer at campaign rallies.

“The 2027 presidential election will be a referendum on your record. Nigerians have felt the cost of your leadership in their homes, markets and communities. Their verdict is already clear: they have rejected your administration.”