Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his recent remarks suggesting that rising insecurity in parts of the country would not force him out of office.
Speaking on Wednesday, President Tinubu reaffirmed his intention to seek re-election, insisting that no amount of pressure arising from the nation’s security challenges would deter him from pursuing a second term.
The president also warned that individuals attempting to use insecurity as a political tool to prevent his re-election were misguided.
“You are playing into the hands of agents, including my own enemies, who want to use insecurity to get rid of me,” Tinubu 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 the same day through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the president’s comments as troubling and inappropriate given the current security situation in the country.
According to the former vice-president, governance should be driven by responsibility and concrete action rather than defiance. He accused the administration of failing in its primary duty to protect lives and property.
“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.
He claimed that more than 10,000 people have been killed since Tinubu assumed office, noting that some reports suggest the figure could be as high as 18,000 deaths within two years due to persistent violence across the country.
Atiku further criticised what he described as the government’s tendency to dismiss public outrage as political opportunism, arguing that such remarks diminish the pain and grief of affected families.
He also referenced a recent attack in Ekiti State, where gunmen reportedly killed a pastor and abducted several worshippers, describing the federal government’s response as inadequate.
“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.
The former vice-president added that the incident had not received sufficient empathy or acknowledgment from the highest levels of government, warning that framing such tragedies as political narratives undermines public trust.
Atiku linked worsening insecurity with declining public confidence, rising cost of living, and what he termed “reckless fiscal policies,” stressing that trust in leadership must be earned 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.
He concluded by urging the federal government to urgently review its security strategy, insisting that the protection of lives and property must remain the core responsibility and measure of any administration.
“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,” he added.
