ABUJA — Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has fired back at President Bola Tinubu over his “wrestle to the finish” remark, saying the President should focus on tackling Nigeria’s economic and security crises instead of political opponents.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Tinubu’s comment as “the lamentation of a drowning man” trying to divert attention from what he called an abysmal record in office.
He said the comment was particularly troubling because it came in response to a solemn appeal by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for credible, transparent and peaceful elections.
According to Atiku, the President’s reply reflected “a prevailing sense of aloofness and a troubling lack of courtesy, humility and decorum expected of him during such a high-profile engagement with one of the country’s most respected moral institutions.
The former Vice President argued that a leader presiding over what he called the worst cost-of-living crisis in recent memory should be focused on different priorities.
“A president ought not to be talking about wrestling political opponents but about wrestling inflation to the ground, defeating hunger, restoring security, stabilising the naira and rebuilding public confidence in government,” he said.
“When leaders fail, they often resort to political theatre in the hope that loud rhetoric will drown out the cries of suffering citizens,” he stated.
“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in performance in government.
Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira.”
His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win.”
He added that democracy should be about ideas and accountability, not confrontation.
“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,” Atiku said.
The ADC candidate urged President Tinubu to use the remainder of his tenure to address what he described as the nation’s deepening crises, rather than “manufacturing imaginary political battles.”
He listed the key issues requiring urgent attention as rising inflation, food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity, and the continued depreciation of the naira.
The statement marks the latest exchange between the opposition and the presidency ahead of the 2027 general elections, with economic hardship and governance remaining central points of debate