By Henry Umoru and Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to defend his record before Nigerians rather than hide behind governors, ministers and defectors campaigning for his re-election, saying political surrogates cannot shield him from public anger over economic hardship.
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This came as the Media Office of the Presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi ahead of 2027 general election, has taken a swipe at President Tinubu for saying he would not accompany the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, APC-PCC, to every campaign event, citing the need to prioritise governance, economic obligations and efforts to attract investors.
Atiku said Tinubu must answer for the hardship Nigerians have endured over the past three and a half years before seeking another four-year mandate, insisting that voters would judge him by their lived experiences, not the promises of his political allies.
In a statement, yesterday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said: “Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?
“He has had three and a half years to govern. In that time, families have been forced to cut meals, postpone medical care and watch their earnings lose value before they get home.
“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.
“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 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.
“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,” Atiku said.
You can’t campaign through surrogates, Peter Obi Media Office to Tinubu
On its part, the Peter Obi Media Office, POMR, in a statement by its Spokesman, Idris Zekeri, yesterday, said: “President Tinubu reportedly said the demands of governance may keep him away from the campaign trail. Nigerians deserve to ask: If he cannot make time to face the electorate, why should surrogates be sent to ask for their votes?
“The President cannot delegate accountability. He cannot outsource the defence of his record to political allies, party chieftains, and praise singers while millions of Nigerians struggle with the consequences of his government’s policies.
“Surrogates can speak for the President, but they cannot answer for his failures. They can repeat his promises, but they cannot make those promises a reality. They can campaign in his name, but they cannot carry his responsibility.
“If the administration has delivered on its promises, why should the President be reluctant to defend that record before Nigerians himself? If the economy is improving, let him explain how that improvement is reflected in the cost of food, transportation, electricity, housing, and necessities. If his policies are working, let him face the citizens who want to know when the hardship will end.
“Mr President, governance is not an excuse to avoid accountability. In a democracy, governance is the very record a candidate must defend before asking for another mandate.
“Nigerians are not being asked to elect your surrogates. They are being asked to assess you, your policies, your promises, and your performance. No surrogate can stand in your place when it is time to answer for the state of the nation.
“You cannot send surrogates to collect the votes while keeping the President away from the questions. You cannot delegate the campaign and expect Nigerians to forget who must answer for the record.
“The Nigerian people deserve a direct conversation with their President, not a relay of rehearsed talking points from political messengers.
“If there is a record to defend, let the President defend it. If there are promises yet to be fulfilled, let him explain them. And if Nigerians are being asked to renew his mandate, let him have the courage to face their questions.
“A President who seeks the people’s mandate must be prepared to face the people. Surrogates may carry the message, but they cannot carry the burden of accountability.”
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