The Presidency yesterday lashed out at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for implying that President Bola Tinubu is not working to resolve the economic and security challenges facing the country.

 

Abubakar, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last year’s presidential election, urged the President to step aside.

 

In a post on his verified X handle, Atiku had said: “Tinubu is playing fiddle while Nigeria is drowning in the ocean of insecurity. To imagine that the Commander-in-Chief is on a so-called private visit while kidnappers kill a nursing mother and grandmother in Abuja for failing to pay N90 million ransom and two monarchs in Ekiti, among other regular tragedies besetting Nigerians.

 

“If the shoes are too big for Emilokan, he should step aside. Nigeria does not need another Tourist-in-Chief. The country needs 24/7 leadership to confront the pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy. – AA.”

 

But in a statement yesterday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency accused Abubakar of playing the ostrich and pretending not to see the around-the-clock efforts President Tinubu has been making to enable the country achieve peace and prosperity.

 

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s statement accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of fiddling amidst some security and economic challenges is to say the least, reckless.

 

“Coming days after he made an equally reckless allegation against the President on the crude for loan deal for NNPC Limited, his latest statement fell short of what is expected from an elder statesman.

 

“We like to believe that Alhaji Atiku is still not nursing the hangover of his electoral defeat and now latches on any issue to attack President Tinubu.

 

“President Tinubu did not travel without informing Nigerians of his whereabouts. He announced a private visit to France and announced a return date.

 

“While in France, President Tinubu has been following developments at home and he is on top of the situation in the country. Today’s (Tuesday’s) inauguration of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage bore his imprimatur.

 

“He is in constant touch with his officials and security chiefs and has directed them to stamp out every form of criminality in the country.

 

 

“He has particularly ordered them to apprehend those criminals responsible for the murder of two monarchs in Ekiti State and the kidnapping of some pupils in the state,” the statement said.

 

On successes recorded by the measures the President has put in place, the statement said: “We are already seeing results with the arrest of over 139 kidnappers around Abuja, Kaduna, and Benue states in the last one week. The police Special Intervention Squad (SIS) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have also rescued 154 abducted persons in the last few days.

 

“Just last week, President Tinubu approved N50 billion as special fund to address some of the lingering security challenges in Northeast where Alhaji Atiku hails from. To cope with the kidnapping challenges in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), President Tinubu also approved funds for the acquisition of equipment to track criminals.

 

“If Alhaji Atiku is really concerned about security issues and not playing cheap politics, he should have known that President Tinubu is on top of issues and working hard to restore peace to every part of our country.

 

“Our security agencies are working very hard to bring the security situation under control. President Tinubu is giving them all the necessary support they need to win the battle against criminal elements and secure every inch of our country.”

 

Also, many Nigerians yesterday reacted to the tweet by former Vice President, saying he missed the point.

 

@ThisIsAdemuyiwa stated: “While our education system was in a state of comatose, you and your boss invested heavily by starting private universities.

 

“Investment in power went down the drain too. No serious commitment to infrastructure and in fact, you both have 0 legacy project. All of the recklessness of yesterday led us here.”

 

@liampsticks simply asked: “What country are you tweeting from?”

 

For @ElitesAfrica, Atiku appears to be playing a hypocrisy card: “This marks the first instance of Atiku expressing concern about the killings of Nigerians, whether by Muslim extremists, Fulani terrorists, or kidnappers.

 

“It seems that Atiku was previously avoiding such discussions during Buhari’s presidency when things took a turn for the worse.

 

“However, he has now found his voice again, emphasising the importance of speaking truth to power, even when it involves holding a leader from his own tribe accountable for the challenges the country faces.”

 

In another response, @ozoneofafrica stated: “Not that I am supporting Tinubu but are you tweeting from Nigeria?”