‘You Removed Subsidy, Created Poverty and Hardship, Stop the Blame Games’ — Atiku Tells Tinubu

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized President Bola Tinubu, describing the president’s claims that the opposition created the country’s hunger and poverty as “delusional” and a “shameless attempt to dodge responsibility.”

In a press release issued on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, the Director of Strategic Communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku stated that the current administration cannot escape blame for the severe economic misery inflicted on citizens.

“A President cannot light the fire of hardship with his own policies and then blame the neighbours for the smoke,” Atiku remarked, pointing out that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has held power for over a decade.

Atiku accused President Tinubu of suffering from a “staggering case of political amnesia,” reminding him that the APC governed Nigeria for eight years under Muhammadu Buhari before Tinubu took office more than three and a half years ago.

The opposition leader catalogued a list of economic and governance failures under the current dispensation, challenging the presidency to answer for its fiscal record instead of deflecting blame at campaign rallies.

“Which administration removed the petrol subsidy and watched the naira fall from about ₦471 to ₦1,329 to the dollar?” Atiku questioned. He further cited a World Bank estimate warning that 63 percent of Nigerians will fall below the national poverty line by the end of 2026.

The statement followed assertions made by President Bola Tinubu at the APC Presidential Campaign flag-off in Kaduna, where he blamed the opposition for creating hunger and poverty.

Atiku took a swipe at the president, accusing his administration of serious transparency gaps regarding national spending and budgeting and demanding answers on several massive financial discrepancies.

According to him, the Tinubu administration operated a separate 2025 budget while simultaneously extending the 2024 budget into 2025. The opposition leader also demanded answers over the ₦7.13 trillion recorded under “energy security” in 2024 and an additional ₦11.2 trillion in NNPC pipeline-related expenditures.

He also challenged the president on a $12.4 billion gap in Nigeria’s external accounts for the first half of 2026, alongside a $22.5 million payment in “other charges” on an Abu Dhabi financing facility.

Atiku also mocked the president’s recent symbolic commissioning of the unfinished Abuja-to-Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium, calling it a sign of how “far removed” Tinubu is from daily realities. “A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon-cutting ceremony,” he added.

2027 As A Referendum

Turning his focus toward the next general elections, Atiku stated that the ongoing security crisis—marked by rampant killings, kidnappings, and community displacements—will heavily influence voters.
He stated that the 2027 presidential election will serve as a direct referendum on Tinubu’s governance track record.

According to Atiku, the verdict from Nigerians living through the inflation and insecurity is already clear: they have rejected the current administration.