Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s revised Presidential Campaign Council as “a crowded confession of Tinubu’s fear.”
Atiku said the length of the list revealed a President more eager to count politicians than answer for what Nigerians have endured.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said, “Only a man afraid of his record would think he could bury it under hundreds of names.”
He added, “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.”
Atiku also criticised Tinubu’s handling of the cost of living, saying the President had “room for an army of ministers and a stadium full of campaign officials, but no room in his plans for Nigerians crushed by the cost of living.”
He said the President’s political activities and endorsements would not change the experiences of Nigerians under his administration.
“He may surround himself with elite friends and fill his campaign schedule with endorsements, but the list of Nigerians determined to vote against him is much longer,” Atiku said.
He added, “On January 16, Nigerians will answer with one question: Are we better off under Bola Tinubu?”
The former Vice-President also condemned the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja, describing the decision as an abuse of public office.
“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 to inaugurate the campaign council at night inside the Villa when other venues were available.
“Abuja has no shortage of halls and public spaces large enough to host a campaign gathering. Why, then, did Bola Tinubu choose to inaugurate his campaign council at night, behind the gates of the Presidential Villa?” he asked.
He added, “But a president confident in his record should be willing to face the public in daylight and ask for another mandate.”
Atiku further criticised what he described as political excesses in the administration, comparing the expanded campaign council with the size of the Federal Executive Council.
He said, “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 is collecting politicians like shields against public judgment.”
According to him, the President’s campaign council could not address the economic difficulties and insecurity facing Nigerians.
“The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index recorded an increase of 17.9 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty. Three and a half years of Tinubu’s leadership have left millions in deeper hardship and thousands more traumatised by insecurity,” he said.
Atiku also argued that the campaign council’s size would not determine how Nigerians assessed the administration’s performance.
“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,” he said.
He said the ADC had assembled a campaign team to present its case to Nigerians, adding that the party’s campaign would focus on the challenges facing households.
“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,” Atiku said.
He maintained that Nigerians would judge the President by their experiences under his administration, citing food affordability, workers’ purchasing power, school fees and insecurity.
“Families face hunger, hardship and fear every day. No crowd of politicians can stand between a President and his abysmal record,” he said.
“Tinubu can surround himself with every political heavyweight in Nigeria; on election day, he will still face the people who lived through his failures and their list is much longer.”
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