Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected President Bola Tinubu's suggestion that the opposition is responsible for Nigeria's economic hardship, describing the claim as delusional and an attempt to avoid accountability for policies enacted under his administration. In a statement dated 24 October 2026, Atiku's ADC Presidential Campaign Council fired back, insisting that Tinubu cannot distance himself from the consequences of his decisions.
Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Political Amnesia
Signed by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the statement challenged Tinubu's narrative. Atiku said, "Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia. The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years. Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record."
Atiku also criticised Tinubu's attendance at the commissioning ceremony of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, which he described as still unfinished. He argued that this conduct illustrated how disconnected the presidency had become from ordinary Nigerians.
Sharp Questions on Naira, Poverty, and Fiscal Management
The former presidential candidate directed a series of pointed questions at the administration. He asked which government oversaw the naira's decline from approximately ₦471 to ₦1,329 against the dollar, and which presided over a rise in poverty severe enough for the World Bank to project that 63 per cent of Nigerians would fall below the national poverty line by 2026.
Atiku also raised concerns about fiscal management, questioning how the administration operated an extended 2024 budget and a separate 2025 budget simultaneously. He demanded answers over ₦7.13 trillion recorded under "energy security" in 2024, alongside questions about ₦11.2 trillion in NNPC pipeline-related spending.
External Accounts Discrepancy and Security Failures
Further queries centred on a $12.4 billion discrepancy flagged in Nigeria's external accounts for the first half of 2026 and $22.5 million listed as "other charges" on the Abu Dhabi financing facility. On security, Atiku said killings, kidnappings and community displacement remained unresolved while the government looked for others to blame.
"You cannot govern for three years, make life harder, and then blame others for describing the hardship," he said. "You asked who created the hunger. Nigerians are asking what you have done to end it."
2027 Election Framed as Referendum on Tinubu's Record
Atiku concluded by framing the 2027 presidential election as a direct verdict on Tinubu's tenure. He asserted that citizens would judge the government by the realities in their homes and markets rather than by statements made at political rallies. "Their verdict is already clear: they have rejected your administration," he said.
