The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has described the Presidency’s latest statement attacking his person as further proof that the President Bola Tinubu’s administration has chosen diversion over disclosure and insults over accountability.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said it was telling that the Presidency devoted several paragraphs to personal attacks without addressing the fundamental issues that continue to generate legitimate public interest.
He said: “When governments abandon facts for insults and substitute evidence with abuse, they unwittingly admit that they have run out of convincing answers. Nigerians expected clarification. What they received instead was a barrage of name-calling and political invective.”
Atiku noted that raising questions about matters contained in public records should never be misconstrued as an attack on Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“No one has reported Nigeria to anyone. Nigeria is not on trial. The issue concerns questions arising from publicly available records relating to the occupant of the nation’s highest office. Those records were not created by the opposition, the ADC, or any political actor. Attempting to silence legitimate public inquiry by wrapping oneself in the national flag does not answer the questions before the country.”
The former Vice President said it was particularly unfortunate that the Presidency chose to revive old political allegations against him instead of responding directly to the issues it was confronted with.
“Nigerians can distinguish between political mudslinging and factual responses. Personal attacks do not erase public records, nor do they substitute for transparency. The Presidency should resist the temptation to personalise issues that require clear and factual explanations.”
Atiku further observed the irony of an administration that actively seeks foreign investment, foreign loans, favourable international ratings, and global endorsements suddenly portraying international scrutiny as an assault on Nigeria’s independence.
“You cannot celebrate international validation when it is convenient and condemn international scrutiny when it becomes uncomfortable. Accountability is not foreign interference; it is a democratic obligation,” he said.
He also dismissed the argument that electoral victory automatically settles every question concerning public accountability.
“Elections confer political authority, but they do not extinguish the public’s right to ask questions. A democratic mandate is not a substitute for transparency, nor does it exempt any public official from the obligation to account to the people.”
Atiku urged the Presidency to abandon its combative posture and provide Nigerians with clear, factual responses instead of inflammatory rhetoric.
He said: “If the government believes that the public record has been misunderstood or misrepresented, the appropriate response is to present the facts. Abuse cannot replace evidence, and propaganda cannot replace truth.”
The former Vice President maintained that history has consistently shown that confident governments respond to scrutiny with openness rather than hostility.
“The Nigerian people deserve answers, not insults. They want to know if their President forfeited money to the Government of the United States of America on account of drug related offenses. They deserve transparency, not diversion. Until those questions are addressed with facts, no amount of outrage or personal attacks will silence legitimate public inquiry.”
