₦airaland Forum

Atiku Blasts Tinubu: I'm Not A Bigot Like You, Didn't Refund Money For Drug Trafficking; Wickedness Is Your Exclusive Preserve

The Presidency’s statement accused Atiku who unsuccessfully sought the presidency six times of attempting to undermine his administration. It labelled Atiku’s economic proposals as "grand illusions and fantasies."


Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has dismissed accusations from the President Bola Tinubu's camp that he is envious of the president.

SaharaReporters had reported that in a statement released on Sunday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information & Strategy, asserted that Atiku's plans lack originality and fail to address the country's pressing economic realities.

The Presidency’s statement accused Atiku who unsuccessfully sought the presidency six times of attempting to undermine his administration. It labelled Atiku’s economic proposals as "grand illusions and fantasies."

The statement went on to say that Atiku's arrogance and lack of viable solutions to the country's economic challenges contributed to his defeat in six presidential elections.

But Atiku's aide, Phrank Shaibu in his statement on Monday said that Atiku cannot be jealous of Tinubu for inflicting pain on Nigerians, stressing, “wickedness is an exclusive preserve of T-Pain!”

Shaibu said that unlike Tinubu, “Atiku is not a bigot, refunded money to the US for alleged drug trafficking”

According to him, Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections said that President Tinubu’s economic policies and approach to governance “is killing Nigerians, and this should be his focus rather than attacking the opposition which is not in the saddle.”

Atiku said, “On July 8, 2024, Tinubu announced that import duty on essential goods like food would be lifted for 150 days.

“But over 120 days later, the policy is yet to take off, while Nigerians continue to die daily due to increasing costs, including food inflation, which now exceeds 40%, the highest in decades.

“The brazen disobedience to a government policy by Tinubu’s appointees and the failure of the finance ministry to issue a gazette after over four months reflects the fatuousness, inanity and the incompetence that characterizes the Tinubu administration.

“Sadly, rather than focus on governance, they are preoccupied with verbally assaulting their opponents - Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi - while using compromised courts to foster crisis in the opposition. What a shame!”

He argued that Tinubu’s “abysmal” performance in the last 18 months had made it clear to all Nigerians that he came into office unprepared, hence the many policy flip flops that has so far characterised his tenure.

According to the former Vice President, “Tinubu was obviously unprepared for office. He acts first and thinks of the consequences afterwards. This was why he announced an abrupt removal of petrol subsidy without any cushions.

“After seeing the effect, he then hurriedly decided to push a CNG initiative, which even he and his ministers have not embraced, hence their refusal to use it.

“The CNG initiative has so far failed to fully kick off because of a lack of gas infrastructure in most states. The result is that transport costs continue to soar along with prices of food.

“In his mid-term expenditure framework, he projected the exchange rate at N700/$1 in 2024 and N650/$1 by 2025.

“Rather than sack his economic advisers, he continues to live in a fool’s paradise, deceiving Nigerians about the FX reserve of $40bn when, in fact, the net reserves are less than 20% of that. Let the CBN release its financial statements of 2023 if he is sure of his achievements.”

Atiku described as unfortunate the announcement by the military authorities on the emergence of a new terrorist organization known as Lakurawa in the North amid existing Boko Haram, ISWAP, Bandits and other terror groups in the country.

He argued that coupled with the incessant grid collapses in the north due to the activities of criminal elements, Tinubu ought to focus more on improving security, which is a sine qua non for investments.

Atiku further noted that the President had decided to play politics with security by appointing his kinsmen in top security and economic positions.

“Even on the economy, he put his kinsmen in every key position beginning from finance minister, trade and investment, CBN, customs and FIRS. Even President Muhammadu Buhari was not this brazen.

"Unlike Tinubu, Atiku is not a bigot. He has also not refunded money to the United States for alleged drugs trafficking. "

He said that despite a huge revenue challenge, Tinubu commits over $13 billion to the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, rendering scores of Lagos residents homeless just to please his associates while other pressing matters are starved of funds.

Atiku therefore advised Tinubu to make hay while the sun shines as Nigerians had grown tired of his administration.

He said the President has just barely two years left in office and he should focus on improving the lives of the people.

According to him, "It is ludicrous to claim that Atiku is jealous of Tinubu. Hell no, Atiku cannot be jealous of Tinubu inflicting pains on Nigerians.

“Wickedness is an exclusive preserve of Tinubu and no compassionate leader who truly cares about the wellbeing of Nigerians should be jealous of what is an exclusive preserve of T-Pain".

Atiku added, “It is disheartening that during the last protests, some frustrated young Nigerians were waving Russian flags and calling on the military to take over.

“God forbid we return to those dark days, but leaders must not push their citizens to a point where citizens choose fire over frying pan.

“Nigeria is currently the worst performing currency in Africa and is now the 5th largest economy on the continent, falling from first when the failure called APC took over in 2015.

“Most Nigerians are at their wits’ end, not knowing where their next meal will come from. This should be Tinubu’s biggest concern instead of fiddling while the country burns.”

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maIvin:
Is this really what we need at this critical period? Honestly

Trimjos:
After 2027 and if nigeria remains one nation, a law needs to be passed in order to bar Yoruba people from becoming president anytime again in this country. Those guys are not good economic / security managers. It is very apparent that they re not just good in it

Flangelo12:
Atiku, can you swear to Allah you aren't involved in terrorism?

Flangelo12:
We need USA to explain the extraordinary rendition of our leader in Ogbaru.

Trimjos:
He took after his leader who was a drug dealer in the US that forfeited a huge sum in cash when the Bubble bursted for him...

Flangelo12:
His leader is Ojukwu.

Trimjos:
You mean ojukwu that died eons ago?? Common, don't be a block head.

Flangelo12:
Clearly, Ojukwu is his leader.

Trimjos:
it's obvious I ve been having a convo with a zômbīe

Trimjos:
After 2027 and if nigeria remains one nation, a law needs to be passed in order to bar Yoruba people from becoming president anytime again in this country. Those guys are not good economic / security managers. It is very apparent that they re not just good in it

Flangelo12:
We need USA to explain the extraordinary rendition of our leader in Ogbaru.

JAMO84:
A first class thief like Atiku is calling someone a bigot.

It seems Tinubu is the only so called drug baron that forfeit money to evade justice in the history of the US. Thieves like Atiku and Onyeama are not allowed to forfeit money, which is why they can't go to the US without a diplomatic passport. So Tinubu is Smarter than all of them put together.

maIvin:
Is this really what we need at this critical period? Honestly

DeLaRue:
I have not for once been impressed by Mr Onanuga.

Why does he feel the need to respond to every comment from the Atiku side on a rolling basis.

Back and forth, back and forth, like school children.

He may have served the President well in Lagos in the past, but he is just not cut out for the job of a modern Presidential media aide.

Beside endless needless responses, the responses are often laboured, too long, drifting, and offering no central focus.

The President needs to look beyond loyalty and let the man go.

Flangelo12:
Atiku, can you swear to Allah you aren't involved in terrorism?

blacknp:
The scripture says answer a fool according to his folly, Atiku like his boy Gringory Obi are foolish men with their lack of constructive criticism of Bola Tinubu.

They just rant & rant over & about a government that hasn’t been in power for 2 years.

blacknp:
Atiku is frustrated.

UltraSolid:
Atiku and fake opposition politics he could not play against his own Kinsman Buhari, who set Nigeria backwards 50 years, calling Asiwaju a bigot. Perjaps Atiku does not understand the meaning of "bigot".

Trimjos:
After 2027 and if nigeria remains one nation, a law needs to be passed in order to bar Yoruba people from becoming president anytime again in this country. Those guys are not good economic / security managers. It is very apparent that they re not just good in it