Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has delivered a sharp response to Senator Adams Oshiomhole after the Edo North lawmaker mocked his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The Political Clash Intensifies
Oshiomhole had previously dismissed Atiku's chances of becoming president, arguing that someone who "could not fix his own party" could not possibly fix Nigeria's numerous challenges. This comment sparked an immediate reaction from Atiku's camp.
In a statement released by Atiku's spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President advised Oshiomhole to "look at himself in a mirror before speaking" to others. The statement insisted that the senator's comments represented nothing more than another attempt to distract Nigerians from the failures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Defending Atiku's Political Record
Shaibu strongly defended his principal's political legacy, explaining that Atiku's role as Vice President did not make him the national chairman of the PDP nor the sole administrator of a political party with thousands of stakeholders.
"Atiku Abubakar was Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not the national chairman of the PDP, and certainly not the sole administrator of a political institution with thousands of independent leaders across the country," Shaibu stated.
He emphasized the democratic nature of the PDP compared to what he described as the APC's authoritarian structure. "Leadership in a democratic party is not dictatorship. The PDP, unlike the APC, was not a private estate controlled from Bourdillon, where one individual tele-guides decisions and stifles internal democracy."
Counterattack on APC's Governance
The statement turned the criticism back on Oshiomhole and his political allies, suggesting that if the senator wanted to see someone who had turned a party into a personal empire, he needed only to look at the people he served.
"If Oshiomhole seeks the man who 'fixed a party' into a personal empire, he needs only look at the godfather he serves," Shaibu declared. "Under the APC, party supremacy died, dissent was criminalized and institutions of state became partisan weapons. That is the only kind of 'fixing' Oshiomhole understands."
Shaibu insisted that Atiku had demonstrated the strongest leadership blueprint in Nigeria despite never holding the office of president, contrasting this with what he described as the APC's poor governance record that has left Nigerians suffering.
"He has never been president, yet his development blueprint remains the most coherent Nigeria has seen in decades," the spokesperson asserted.
The statement concluded with a direct challenge to the APC's moral authority, questioning: "If the APC could not fix Nigeria after eight wasted years and nearly three years of Tinubu, what moral authority does Oshiomhole have to comment on leadership?"
Shaibu expressed confidence that Nigerians already understood the difference between both men and their political records, stating: "Nigerians know the truth. Atiku Abubakar represents vision, experience and capacity. Oshiomhole represents noise, propaganda, and the bruising legacy of a party that betrayed the hopes of millions. He should sit this one out."
