Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of avoiding direct engagement with Nigerians over the economic hardship in the country while seeking re-election in 2027.
Mr Atiku said the president could not ask Nigerians for another four-year mandate without accounting for his administration’s performance in the last three and a half years.
He also criticised Mr Tinubu for relying on governors, ministers and politicians who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to defend his administration’s record.
Mr Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Presidential Campaign Council.
The former vice president was reacting to Mr Tinubu’s reported position that he might miss some campaign rallies because of the demands of governing the country.
“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?” Mr Atiku asked.
He said Nigerians had endured worsening living conditions, forcing many families to reduce meals, delay medical treatment and struggle with the declining purchasing power of their earnings.
“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term,” he said.
Mr Atiku challenged the president to explain how his administration had addressed the rising cost of food, the difficulties faced by pensioners in accessing medicines and the lack of decent jobs for young Nigerians.
He also faulted the president for what he described as prioritising the concerns of foreign creditors and investors over the immediate needs of Nigerians.
“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 ADC presidential campaign council official said the president could not rely on political allies to answer questions about his administration’s performance.
“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,” Mr Atiku said.
He argued that Mr Tinubu, rather than members of his campaign council, should take responsibility for the promises made during the 2023 presidential election and the decisions taken by his administration.
“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 said.
Mr Atiku added that voters would judge the president based on their experiences under his administration rather than the assurances of politicians campaigning on his behalf.
“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.