Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of avoiding direct engagement with Nigerians over the economic hardship they have endured under his administration, insisting that the President must account for his first term before seeking another mandate in 2027.
Atiku said Tinubu could not ask Nigerians to grant him another four years while relying on governors, ministers and defecting politicians to defend the economic consequences of his policies.
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 challenged Tinubu to explain to Nigerians what his government had done to ease the cost of living.
The criticism followed reports that Tinubu 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?” Atiku asked.
He argued that the President had spent three and a half years in office, during which many households had struggled with rising living costs, shrinking purchasing power and mounting financial pressures.
“In that time, families have been forced to cut meals, postpone medical care and watch their earnings lose value before they get home,” he said.
Atiku insisted that Tinubu must personally defend his administration’s record rather than allow political allies to take responsibility for explaining its policies to voters.
“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term,” the former vice-president said.
He challenged the President to explain how his policies had affected food affordability, pensioners’ access to medication and employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
“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 ‘Nigerians Cannot Wait Either’
The ADC chieftain also questioned what he described as the administration’s urgency in addressing the concerns of creditors and investors compared with the immediate needs of ordinary citizens.
“Tinubu says American creditors cannot wait. Nigerians cannot wait either. They have bills to pay, children to feed and lives to rebuild,” he said.
According to Atiku, Nigerians deserve a president who treats their economic difficulties with the same urgency devoted to financial obligations and investor concerns.
He further criticised the President’s reliance on political allies to defend his record, arguing that campaign rallies and political endorsements could not substitute for tangible improvements in living conditions.
“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,” he said.
Atiku maintained that Tinubu, having secured the mandate in the 2023 presidential election, should personally answer questions about 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 added.
Atiku Warns Against Relying On Political Defections
The former vice-president said the growing presence of politicians around the President would not necessarily determine how Nigerians assess his administration when they cast their ballots in 2027.
He argued that voters would base their decisions on their personal experiences during the administration rather than the number of political figures campaigning on Tinubu’s 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,” Atiku said.
The statement, signed by Shaibu on October 15, 2026, forms part of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council’s criticism of the Tinubu administration ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku’s remarks place the economy, food prices, healthcare affordability and youth employment at the centre of the emerging political contest, with the opposition challenging the President to defend his record directly before the electorate.
