•Atiku and Tinubu
…challenges him to stop recycling old allegations
Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make public records relating to allegations against him, saying Nigerians deserve equal standards of transparency from political leaders.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to what he described as the renewed recycling of decades-old allegations against him.
He accused the Tinubu administration and its supporters of revisiting allegations dating back to the political battles of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration because they were unable to defend the current economic hardship facing Nigerians, reports Saturday Independent.
According to him, the renewed allegations were an attempt to divert public attention from rising food prices, declining purchasing power and the increasing cost of living.
“At some point, desperation announces itself. When those defending this government can no longer explain why food, transportation, electricity, rent, education, insecurity and healthcare are increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary families, they rummage through twenty-year-old files looking for an escape route,” Atiku said.
He maintained that the allegations against him had already been subjected to scrutiny by various institutions during the Obasanjo administration, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts.
Atiku said no court had convicted him over the allegations, urging anyone with credible evidence against him to present it for proper legal examination.
“So what exactly has been discovered in 2026 that Nigeria did not hear twenty years ago? A petition is not a conviction, an acknowledgement stamp is not evidence of guilt, and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court,” he said.
The former vice president also drew a comparison between the allegations against him and President Tinubu’s position in a United States legal case involving requests for records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Atiku argued that Tinubu could not demand transparency from others while seeking to prevent the disclosure of records concerning himself.
“The contrast with Bola Tinubu is almost comic. While I am saying, ‘bring out your evidence,’ Tinubu actually went to an American court to intervene in a case seeking FBI and DEA records concerning him, citing privacy interests in records he argued should not be disclosed,” he said.
He challenged political actors to allow “every lawful record” to be opened and every allegation subjected to the law.
“My challenge is simple: let every lawful record be opened and every allegation tested. Let Nigerians see who welcomes scrutiny and who reaches for privacy arguments when the files concern him,” Atiku said.
He further warned the EFCC against being used as a political instrument, stressing that the anti-graft agency should remain independent and investigate credible allegations regardless of the political status of those involved.
“The EFCC belongs to Nigeria, not to any government, party or candidate. It should investigate genuine wrongdoing wherever it finds it, but state institutions must never become emergency political weapons activated whenever those in power are losing the argument on governance,” he said.
Atiku said the allegations would not address the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians, asking why citizens were increasingly unable to afford food, transportation, housing, education and healthcare.
“You cannot feed a hungry family with an EFCC petition. You cannot restore purchasing power with recycled allegations, and you cannot make life affordable by shouting Atiku whenever Nigerians demand answers,” he added.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the ADC presidential candidate said Nigerians would ultimately judge political leaders based on their records, the quality of life under their administration and the future they offer the country.
“The old script did not stop me then, and it will not stop me now. In 2027, Nigerians will judge us by our records, the lives they are living and the future we offer them,” Atiku said.
