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By Myke Agunwa
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and brainchild of the mega coalition anchored by African Democratic Congress (ADC) has mocked President Bola Tinubu over his restless efforts at strangulating opposition than wiping out banditry, poverty and rebuilding the bartered economy.
Tinubu had on Wednesday during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took a swipe on ADC and dismissed the threats posed by the coalition against his re-election agenda.
However, in a counter statement on Thursday, signed by his Media Adviser. Paul Ibe, Atiku urged Tinubu to fix his troubled government, broken economy before meddling with the Affairs of the opposition.
According to the statement, “Attacking the opposition has now become his favourite pastime — even while the country burns under his watch. This constant attack on the opposition is “a distraction by a man clearly overwhelmed by the mess in his own house.
“President Tinubu should first sort out the obvious rift between himself and Vice President Kashim Shettima and the broken Nigerian economy before poking his nose into the affairs of the ADC.
“We wish to state for the record that Tinubu and his political camp have been sponsoring crises within the opposition parties. It beats our imagination as to why the presidency is resorting to wasting scarce public funds to stir up internal conflicts in a bid to weaken alternative political voices.
“We are fully aware that the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi within the coalition were orchestrated by the presidency. Unfortunately for them, their divisive game has failed – the cracks have been sealed, and the coalition stands stronger than ever.”
The former Vice President said it is alarming that more than halfway into his poorly executed mandate, “Tinubu is still leading an APC government that is directionless, incompetent, and completely disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
“While Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty, Tinubu is busy playing petty politics. He has abandoned governance and is fixated on a 2027 re-election campaign despite having nothing to show for his 2023 mandate.
“Rather than wipe out the bandits ravaging Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Niger, and other states, Tinubu is more interested in wiping out opposition voices. His goal is clear: to force Nigeria into a one-party state”.
He accused the president of using state institutions, especially anti-corruption agencies as tools to harass and blackmail opposition leaders into joining the APC.
“But let the truth be told: Tinubu fears the coalition. He knows it is the coalition that will send him packing — either back to Bourdillon or Iragbiji” Atiku said.