Politics
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Presidency of distorting facts by claiming he remained silent over the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
Atiku, the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the allegation ignored a statement he had earlier issued commending the rescue operation.
The former vice president made the remarks in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu.
According to Atiku, the Presidency’s claim could only be explained by either a failure to verify publicly available information or a deliberate attempt to ignore his earlier position.
“It is astonishing that a Presidency with limitless public resources could accuse someone of silence without carrying out the most basic verification,” he said.
Atiku said he had issued a statement titled “A Nation at War Needs a Commander-in-Chief, Not a Campaigner-in-Chief”.
He said the statement welcomed the rescue of the schoolchildren and praised the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their professionalism and sacrifice.
He added that the statement also called for sustained efforts to secure the release of all Nigerians still being held captive.
According to him, the reproduced excerpts of the earlier statement clearly contradict the Presidency’s allegation.
He said while he acknowledged the efforts of the security agencies, he declined to commend President Bola Tinubu over what he described as misplaced priorities.
Atiku argued that the President should have personally led the nation in celebrating the security operation and reassuring families of victims still in captivity.
He said the rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren was encouraging but noted that many other abducted Nigerians, including children kidnapped in Borno State, were yet to regain their freedom.
The former vice president urged the Federal Government to focus on addressing the country’s security challenges instead of engaging in political disputes with the opposition.
According to him, Nigerians deserve a government that responds to legitimate concerns with results rather than propaganda.
Tags: Atiku accuses Presidency Distortion of facts