Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing response to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing him of hypocrisy, political desperation and a deliberate distortion of Nigeria’s economic history.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the President’s recent remarks as a “reckless tirade” that reflects “a troubling pattern of hypocrisy and historical amnesia.”
The statement expressed surprise that a sitting President facing questions over his own credentials would attempt to discredit others with what it described as verifiable public service records.
It read, “Atiku Abubakar’s attention has been drawn to the latest reckless tirade by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a performance that exposes not just desperation, but a troubling pattern of hypocrisy and historical amnesia.”
Clash Over Privatisation Policy
On the contentious issue of privatisation, Atiku’s camp argued that Tinubu’s criticisms fail under scrutiny, recalling that the President allegedly opposed similar reforms in the past.
According to the statement, Atiku had consistently championed the privatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the sale of refineries to credible private investors, positions it claimed Tinubu resisted at the time.
The statement, however, accused the current administration of implementing what it termed an opaque version of the same policy.
It stated that the government is now presiding over a system that has effectively commercialised the national oil company “without clear valuation, without transparency, and with lingering questions about who truly benefits.”
“This is not reform; it is privatisation without accountability,” the statement declared.
The former Vice-President’s camp also defended his role in Nigeria’s economic reforms, pointing to several companies as outcomes of the privatisation programme he supervised.
Among those cited were Oando Plc (formerly Unipetrol), Conoil Plc, African Petroleum (now Ardova Plc), Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals, Benue Cement Company, and Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
These, the statement said, remain enduring examples of policies that unlocked value and revived struggling government enterprises.
Atiku Takes Swipe At President’s Remarks
The statement further criticised Tinubu’s comments, describing them as indicative of a failure to engage with documented history.
It said, “It is not our fault that the President does not and can not read, because Bola Tinubu has a history of attending a school in Lagos two years before it was founded, upon which he claimed his crooked Chicago State University degree.”
It added that a proper understanding of Nigeria’s reform history would have been reflected in documented accounts, including those captured in Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s The Accidental Public Servant.
“If he were properly educated he would have acquainted himself with the privatisation records in the presidency… where the privatisation programme was clearly documented as a bold and structured effort to dismantle inefficiency and drive private sector-led growth,” the statement added.
Atiku’s camp also faulted the tone of the President’s remarks, saying it reflected a deeper leadership concern.
“The President’s attempt to reduce a serious economic legacy to playground ridicule only underscores a deeper problem: a leadership more comfortable with insults than with facts,” the statement said.
The statement further painted a grim picture of the current economic situation in the country, alleging that Nigerians are grappling with worsening hardship.
It said, “Across the country, families are skipping meals, businesses are shutting their doors, and hardworking citizens are watching their incomes evaporate under the weight of relentless inflation and a collapsing purchasing power.”
It added that the rising cost of living and insecurity have eroded public confidence, with reforms failing to provide relief.
“What has been marketed as reform has translated into hardship without relief… no amount of rhetoric can mask the pain etched into the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” it stated.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the statement concluded by asserting that Atiku’s record in public service remains “clear, documented, and defensible,” while noting that questions surrounding the President’s background persist.
“A leader who has not fully resolved questions about his own background should exercise restraint before casting aspersions on others,” it added.