Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Tinubu after the president vowed to 'wrestle his opponents to the finish' during a meeting with Catholic bishops. Atiku described the comment as deeply inappropriate and urged Tinubu to focus on Nigeria's escalating cost-of-living crisis, insecurity, and unemployment instead of targeting political rivals.
Tinubu's Wrestling Remark Sparks Backlash
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 29, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku responded to remarks Tinubu reportedly made during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. The president had declared he would 'wrestle his opponents to the finish,' a comment Atiku said showed a troubling absence of humility and statesmanship when engaging one of the country's most respected moral institutions.
Atiku noted that the bishops had simply asked for credible, transparent and peaceful elections. He argued that the president's combative response revealed how disconnected the administration had become from ordinary Nigerians struggling with basic survival.
Atiku Lists Real Battles for Tinubu
Instead of targeting opponents, Atiku said Tinubu should be grappling with the real battles facing the country. 'Mr. President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,' Atiku stated.
He urged Tinubu to focus on bringing down inflation, tackling hunger, restoring security, stabilising the naira and rebuilding trust in government. '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,' the statement read.
Atiku argued that leaders with little to show for their time in office often resort to loud rhetoric as a distraction. 'Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira,' he added.
Warning for 2027 Elections
The former vice president warned that Tinubu's most formidable opponent is not the African Democratic Congress or any other party, but his own governing 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,' Atiku said.
He reminded the president that re-election in a democracy is won through competence and measurable results, not combative posturing. 'In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,' he added.
Atiku urged Tinubu to use the remaining time in his tenure addressing Nigeria's worsening crises, closing with the warning that history remembers those who governed well, not those who spoke loudest.
Prior Criticism: Borrowing Overshoot
This is not the first time Atiku has criticised Tinubu's administration. Previously, he sharply criticised the Federal Government for overshooting its 2024 borrowing limit by ₦4.79 trillion, bringing total fresh borrowing to ₦12.62 trillion. According to Atiku, the Budget Office borrowed 61.2 per cent above what the National Assembly approved. Additionally, an extra ₦3.19 trillion was obtained under the label of 'budget support,' despite no such line item existing in the approved budget and no disclosed source for the funds.
