Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the enlarged All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council. He accused Tinubu of bringing together politicians to protect his government from criticism about economic struggles and insecurity.
Atiku also spoke against the choice to launch the council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He called this use of the facility for a political event an abuse of public office.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, who is the director of strategic communication for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku called the new APC list “a crowded confession of Tinubu’s fear.”
“Only a man afraid of his record would think he could bury it under hundreds of names. Tinubu can gather every governor, minister and political defector in Nigeria. None of them can erase the hunger in people’s homes, bring back those killed by violence or free Nigerians still held captive. Their families are waiting for answers, not another campaign list,” he said.
Atiku's comments came after the APC announced that the council would coordinate campaign activities for the 2027 elections. The council was set to be inaugurated on Wednesday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.
The former vice-president accused Tinubu of using the seat of government as an extension of the ruling party.
“The Presidential Villa belongs to the Nigerian people. It is not a campaign venue or the private property of any political party. Using it for an APC political event is a gross breach of public trust and a troubling abuse of public office,” he said.
Atiku questioned why the president chose this location when there are other suitable venues in Abuja for political events.
“Why, then, did Bola Tinubu choose to inaugurate his campaign council at night, behind the gates of the Presidential Villa?” he asked.
But the APC had announced that the inauguration would happen at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, not at night as Atiku suggested.
On the council's membership, Atiku accused the president of focusing more on political alliances than on the well-being of Nigerians.
“When the first list drew criticism, Tinubu had a chance to show that he understood the country’s anger. Instead, he returned with an even longer list, reaching into other parties for more names,” he said.
“He is collecting politicians like shields against public judgment. Let him collect them all.”
Atiku also pointed to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, stating that an extra 17.9 million Nigerians have fallen into multidimensional poverty.
The numbers in the statement show that about 72.2 million Nigerians were in multidimensional poverty in 2021, while 90.1 million are expected in 2024.
However, this increase began before Tinubu took office in May 2023, so not all of it can be blamed on his government.
“No campaign council, however crowded, can make food affordable, restore a worker’s purchasing power or explain why the sacrifices demanded of ordinary Nigerians never seem to reach Tinubu’s own political circle,” Atiku said.
He compared the APC’s larger council with the ADC’s campaign team, which he said is focused on presenting its case to the people.
“The ADC has assembled a focused campaign team to take its case to Nigerians. Tinubu can keep adding names to his council. He cannot add a name that will make life affordable again for the families struggling under his government,” he said.
Atiku insisted that voters will judge the president based on his government’s record, not by how many politicians support his re-election.
“On January 16, the ballot will contain no column for the size of a campaign council. Nigerians will judge Tinubu by the lives they have lived under his government,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has planned the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.
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