Atiku Abubakar Responds to Presidency's Allegation of Silence
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly refuted the Presidency's claim that he failed to comment on the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, calling the allegation a deliberate distortion of documented facts.
In a statement issued on Friday, July 11, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), offered two possible explanations for the Presidency's position: either its media handlers neglected to check publicly available records before making the accusation, or they intentionally ignored his statement because its contents were inconvenient.
“It is astonishing that a Presidency with limitless public resources could accuse someone of silence without carrying out the most basic verification. Either they failed to read our statement because they were too lazy to do so, or they deliberately ignored it because it exposed uncomfortable truths about their misplaced priorities,” Atiku said.
Atiku Reproduces Earlier Statement on Oyo Rescue
The statement referenced an earlier press release titled “A Nation at War Needs a Commander-in-Chief, Not a Campaigner-in-Chief,” in which Atiku welcomed the rescue, praised the professionalism and sacrifice of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies, and called for continued efforts to free Nigerians still held in captivity.
Excerpts reproduced in Friday's statement included: “The rescue of innocent schoolchildren from the hands of terrorists is a victory for our gallant troops and a source of hope for every Nigerian family. They deserve the gratitude of the nation.”
Atiku also warned against complacency, saying: “One successful rescue must not become an excuse for self-congratulation. A nation cannot celebrate while other parents still go to bed not knowing whether their children are alive or dead. Our work is not done until every abducted Nigerian is safely reunited with his or her family.”
Atiku Raises Questions on Borno Abductions
While acknowledging the Oyo rescue as a moment of relief, Atiku pressed the Federal Government on the fate of schoolchildren abducted in Borno State and other Nigerians still held by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers across the country.
“The facts are now before Nigerians. We did not only congratulate the security agencies, we praised their courage, professionalism and sacrifice in unmistakable terms. What we declined to do was to applaud a Commander-in-Chief who, at a defining moment of national importance, remained publicly preoccupied with partisan political activities,” he said.
Atiku urged the Presidency to redirect its attention from monitoring and misrepresenting opposition statements to addressing the country's ongoing security crisis. “A government secure in its performance does not invent silence where there was a documented public statement. It responds to legitimate concerns with facts and results, not propaganda,” he added.
Background: Atiku's Criticism of Tinubu's Security Handling
Legit.ng has previously reported on Atiku Abubakar's criticism of President Bola Tinubu's handling of Nigeria's security situation and the administration's response to opposition commentary.
In a related development, Atiku recently gave President Tinubu a seven-day deadline to either sign the Federal Audit Service Bill into law, formally reject it, or vacate the presidency, citing what he described as a clear constitutional violation. In a statement issued on Thursday, July 10, 2026, through Phrank Shaibu, Atiku invoked Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which states that once a bill is presented to the President for assent, “he shall within thirty days thereof signify that he assents or that he withholds assent.”
