Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has sharply rebuked President Bola Tinubu, turning the President's biblical comparison of fuel subsidy removal to Moses refusing to return to Egypt into a pointed attack on his leadership. In a statement released on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Atiku declared, "Bola, you are the Egypt Nigerians are desperate to escape," directly challenging Tinubu's narrative and accusing him of celebrating the hardship his policy has imposed on ordinary citizens.
The rebuke came through a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council. Atiku said Tinubu's analogy revealed how disconnected the President is from the daily struggles of Nigerians, adding, "You celebrate the day you made fuel more expensive, then lecture families struggling to pay for food and transport about why they must never go back."
Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Celebrating Hardship
Atiku accused Tinubu of recounting the removal of fuel subsidy on his first day in office "like a wicked king recounting the suffering he had inflicted as a triumph." He said the President may reference scripture but governs without listening to the people. "A mother trying to feed her children cannot pay for food with a metaphor. A worker cannot get to work on a story about the Red Sea. Nigerians are asking how you intend to make life affordable. Answer them," Atiku said.
The former vice-president also outlined his own fuel subsidy alternative, proposing targeted, budgeted support for petroleum products refined in Nigeria and sold locally, while excluding imported fuel entirely. He insisted that independent auditors must track every naira spent, and that the benefit must be visible in prices consumers actually pay.
Security Record and Police Welfare Under Fire
Atiku challenged Tinubu's record on security, rejecting the suggestion made by the President's campaign Director-General that insecurity cannot be blamed on Tinubu because it predates his government. He pointed to the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as proof that a civilian leader could contain such threats. "President Yar'Adua was not a sergeant, yet he stamped it out," Atiku said. "If Tinubu cannot tell Nigerians how he will do that after more than three years in office, he has no business asking for four more years."
He raised specific concerns about the welfare of security personnel, saying a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police told him he receives ₦29,000 a month, while serving officers are depleting their pension savings to cover household expenses. Atiku called on the President to act on the Police Exit Bill, review salaries for serving officers as was done for the armed forces, and ensure retired officers receive pensions that can sustain them.
"Stop pointing to Egypt as though it lies behind us. For millions of Nigerians, Egypt is the hunger, fear and indignity they are living through under you," Atiku concluded.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the ADC for the 2027 general elections, having emerged from the party's primary in May 2026. His statement underscores a deepening political confrontation over subsidy policy, security management, and the welfare of security personnel as the election cycle approaches.
