The Presidency has taken a strong stance against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of harboring envy toward President Bola Tinubu and focusing more on attempting to undermine the President than on resolving internal conflicts within his own party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Atiku’s continued challenges to Tinubu’s legitimacy only underscore his disregard for established political arrangements.
In a recent statement, Onanuga pointed out that Atiku’s candidacy in the 2023 presidential election was flawed from the start due to his failure to adhere to the PDP’s zoning agreement, which mandates a rotation of power between the North and South.
He remarked that Atiku’s decision to ignore this arrangement demonstrated “arrogance and insensitivity to Nigeria’s diversity,” questioning the former vice president’s fitness to have contested for the presidency.
The Presidency also dismissed Atiku’s claims that his mandate was stolen, asserting that Tinubu’s victory was well-deserved.
The statement emphasized that Atiku’s ongoing narrative is not only divisive but fails to acknowledge the substantial reforms that Tinubu’s administration has undertaken.
“Since his defeat in the last election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shown more interest in undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than in addressing his party’s implosion,” Onanuga said.
“We suspect he is envious of Tinubu’s position—an office he has unsuccessfully sought six times.”
The statement further criticized Atiku’s latest proposals, arguing that they lack practical value for Nigeria’s current economic landscape.
“It is perplexing that he would elevate his untested, hypothetical proposal, which Nigerians soundly rejected during the 2023 Presidential Election,” Onanuga remarked, adding that Atiku’s approach would fail to tackle the critical social and economic challenges that persisted through the PDP’s 16-year tenure in power.
Onanuga also highlighted that Atiku’s recent economic critique, titled “What We Would Have Done Differently,” indicates an out-of-touch perspective. “What reforms would Atiku propose at the onset of his hypothetical and fabled presidency?” he asked, suggesting that a leader must be prepared to act immediately, as President Tinubu has done with his swift reform agenda.
Touching on the fuel subsidy issue, Onanuga explained that the estimated N5.4 trillion savings from subsidy removal in 2024 is being channeled into infrastructure projects and social programs. “These initiatives will benefit all tiers of government and improve the quality of life for Nigerians,” he noted.
Addressing Atiku’s suggestion to privatize government refineries, Onanuga described the idea as lacking originality. He cited the historical offers for refinery equity, revealing that in 2007, investors only valued the Port Harcourt Refinery at $160 million and the Kaduna Refinery at $102 million.
He emphasized that the Tinubu administration’s approach of contracting rehabilitated refineries to private managers on an agreed-upon rate of return for the government is a more feasible solution, one that avoids the pitfalls of past asset sales.
