By Tekena Amieyeofori
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has hit back at President Bola Tinubu, telling him to drop political theatrics and concentrate on Nigeria’s deepening economic hardship and security crisis.
Atiku’s response followed Tinubu’s remarks on Tuesday that he was ready to “wrestle his opponents to the finish” ahead of 2027. In a statement on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the comment showed a president under pressure from the failures of his own government.
“Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku declared.
He faulted the timing of the President’s statement, which came during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. The bishops had called for credible, transparent and peaceful elections, and Atiku said Nigerians expected reassurance, not confrontation, from the President at that forum.
According to him, the remark exposed the detachment that has characterised the Tinubu administration and fell short of the humility expected when addressing a leading religious body.
Instead of issuing threats to opposition figures, Atiku said the President should redirect attention to the real battles facing citizens:
“The President should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury.
“He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals.
“He should wrestle with the unemployment that has robbed an entire generation of hope. He should wrestle with an economy suffocating under policy inconsistency, reckless borrowing and dwindling investor confidence,” he said.
Atiku argued that struggling governments often resort to political drama to divert attention from public frustration.
“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping.
“But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in performance in government.
“Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira,” Atiku stated.
He added that Tinubu’s main challenge was not the opposition parties but the outcomes of his policies.
“His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win,” he added.
The ADC leader also reminded the President that elections are decided by citizens, not rhetoric.
“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. Governments earn another term through competence, compassion and measurable results, not through combative rhetoric.
“In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,” he said.
He urged Tinubu to use the rest of his term to address urgent national problems rather than engage in political fights.
“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,” Atiku added.
Background to the Exchange
Tinubu made the “wrestle to the finishing point” comment while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Abuja. The bishops had urged political leaders to ensure peaceful and credible elections.
Atiku Faults Borrowing and Fiscal Management
In a separate statement also signed by Shaibu, Atiku criticised the administration’s borrowing pattern despite subsidy removal and tax increases.
“Nigerians were promised that the painful removal of fuel subsidy, repeated tax hikes and other harsh economic measures would reduce borrowing and restore fiscal stability.
“Instead, the country is witnessing the exact opposite: endless borrowing, ballooning debt and unprecedented waste,” the statement read.
Citing data from the Budget Office, he said the Federal Government borrowed 61.2 per cent above the National Assembly’s approved limit. He also questioned an additional N3.19 trillion said to have been sourced as “budget support” despite no such provision in the appropriation act.
“This is not an isolated incident. It fits into a disturbing pattern that has become the defining signature of the Tinubu administration: duplication, opacity and reckless fiscal management,” he stated.
Atiku further accused the government of running parallel budgets, hiding large expenses under the Service Wide Vote, creating what he called “fake agencies,” and approving lavish spending on luxury vehicles while priority sectors remain underfunded.
He questioned what citizens were getting for the loans, noting little improvement in education, health, security, or infrastructure.
“The tragedy is that Nigerians are being forced to service debts whose benefits they cannot see,” he said.
He pointed out that higher crude oil prices had delivered about N7.98 trillion in oil revenue, which should have reduced borrowing needs.
“A government earning windfalls while borrowing recklessly is not suffering from lack of revenue; it is suffering from lack of discipline,” Atiku declared.
He also flagged that debt servicing hit N12.36 trillion, over 52 per cent above the budget estimate, warning that Nigeria was nearing a point where new loans would be used mainly to pay old debts.
“This is not economic reform. It is fiscal vandalism,” he added.
Atiku said an ADC administration would focus on cutting waste, blocking leakages, and investing public funds in areas that can grow the economy and improve living standards.
“The Nigerian people cannot continue paying today’s taxes to service yesterday’s loans while tomorrow’s generations inherit only debt,” the statement added.