Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to focus on addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges rather than engaging in political battles with the opposition.
Atiku’s reaction followed the President’s declaration that he was prepared to “wrestle” his political opponents to the finish, a remark made during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the President’s comments as misplaced, saying they reflected an administration attempting to divert attention from what he called its poor performance.
The former vice president argued that the President missed an opportunity to reassure Nigerians and the Catholic bishops of his commitment to conducting credible, transparent and peaceful elections.
According to Atiku, President Tinubu should be concentrating on tackling inflation, hunger, insecurity, unemployment, the depreciation of the naira and declining public confidence in government rather than directing combative rhetoric at political opponents.
“Mr. President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku said.
He maintained that millions of Nigerians were grappling with rising food prices, worsening insecurity, unemployment and economic hardship, insisting that these were the real challenges demanding the President’s attention.
Atiku also accused the administration of resorting to political theatrics instead of providing practical solutions to the country’s problems.
He said Nigerians were no longer interested in political slogans or confrontational rhetoric but expected tangible improvements in governance and living conditions.
The ADC presidential candidate further argued that the President’s greatest challenge was not the opposition but the performance of his own administration.
According to him, struggling businesses, unemployed youths, victims of insecurity and families facing economic hardship represented the true verdict on the government’s record.
Atiku stressed that democracy is founded on accountability and the contest of ideas, not political intimidation, adding that Nigerians would ultimately judge the administration through the ballot box in the 2027 general elections.
He urged President Tinubu to spend the remainder of his tenure addressing the country’s pressing challenges rather than engaging in what he described as unnecessary political grandstanding.
“The Nigerian people are not looking for a wrestler. They are looking for a leader. History will not remember who shouted the loudest; it will remember who governed the best,” he said.
