Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his recent comments suggesting that rising insecurity in parts of the country would not force him out of office or deter his bid for a second term.
On Wednesday, President Tinubu reaffirmed his intention to seek re-election, stating that attempts by unnamed actors to leverage prevailing security challenges to undermine his political future would fail.
“You are playing into the hands of agents, including my own enemies, who want to use insecurity to get rid of me,” the president said. “I’m a very stubborn politician. I just refuse to go. And I will campaign for my second term.”
Reacting in a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the president’s remarks as troubling and misplaced, arguing that governance should be measured by responsibility and tangible results rather than defiance.
According to the former vice-president, the primary duty of any government is to protect lives and property, and he accused the current administration of failing in that fundamental obligation.
“It is not political opponents who will judge this administration; it is the blood of innocent Nigerians being shed daily across our land. That blood cries out louder than any declaration of political resolve,” Atiku said.
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He cited reports indicating that more than 10,000 people have been killed since Tinubu assumed office, with some estimates placing the toll at over 18,000 deaths within two years due to persistent violence across the country.
Atiku further criticised what he described as an attempt to frame public outrage over insecurity as political opportunism, saying such rhetoric diminishes the pain and grief of affected families.
Referring to a recent attack in Ekiti State in which gunmen reportedly killed a pastor and abducted worshippers, Atiku described the federal government’s response as inadequate and lacking empathy.
“It is horrifying that the memories of innocent citizens slain due to the failure of the government to provide adequate security would be so casually reduced to political rhetoric,” he said.
“It is disturbing that such a heinous incident has yet to attract the empathy or acknowledgment it deserves from the highest levels of government, while the loss of lives is instead framed as a political game.”
The former vice-president also linked declining public confidence to worsening insecurity, rising cost of living, and what he termed “reckless fiscal policies,” stressing that leadership must earn the trust of citizens through performance.
“No amount of deflection or intimidation can rewrite the lived reality of Nigerians. Ultimately, the people will decide, and they will do so based on the evidence before them,” he stated.
“When lives are lost, and communities are destroyed, governance itself is put on trial. No amount of rhetoric can silence the verdict that comes from the suffering of the people.
“At a time like this, Nigerians do not need bravado; they need protection. They do not need declarations of staying power; they need proof of leadership.”
Atiku urged the federal government to urgently review its security strategy, insisting that the protection of lives and property must remain the central benchmark for evaluating any administration.