Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has labeled the ruling APC’s updated Presidential Campaign Council as an obvious sign of President Bola Tinubu’s apprehension, emphasizing that citizens will refuse to extend a mandate rooted in hardship.
He said the length of the list revealed a President more eager to count politicians than answer for what Nigerians have endured.
“Only a man afraid of his record would think he could bury it under hundreds of names. 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.”
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said: “Tinubu has 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 feeds his political machine and tells hungry families to sacrifice. 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. On January 16, Nigerians will answer with one question: Are we better off under Bola Tinubu?”
Atiku said Tinubu’s campaign council exposed the same appetite for political excess that produced one of Nigeria’s largest federal cabinets.
He also condemned the decision to inaugurate the APC Presidential Campaign Council inside Aso Rock Villa.
“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.
“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?
“Nigerians may draw their own conclusions. But a president confident in his record should be willing to face the public in daylight and ask for another mandate. Tinubu cannot expect Nigerians to renew a mandate built on a promise of renewed hope when, for millions, that promise has given way to hardship and disappointment.
“For the political class, there is always another seat. For Nigerians struggling to survive, there is always another sermon about sacrifice. Tinubu’s government grows more comfortable while the people it governs grow poorer.
“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. Let him collect them all. Not one of them can cast a vote for the mother who can no longer feed her children or the family still waiting for a loved one taken by kidnappers.
“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. Tinubu can write all the names he likes on his campaign list; his record has given millions of Nigerians a reason to vote against him. They are the automatic volunteer wing of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
“He may have assembled an army of politicians, but the list of Nigerians determined to reject his re-election is much longer. 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.
“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.
“On January 16, the ballot will contain no column for the size of a campaign council. Nigerians will judge Tinubu by the lives they have lived under his government: the mother who cannot afford enough food for her children, the worker who spends most of his wages getting to work, the parents who cannot pay school fees, and the families afraid that loved ones may not return safely from a journey.
“Families face hunger, hardship and fear every day. No crowd of politicians can stand between a President and his abysmal record. 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.”
What You Should Know
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has launched a sharp critique against President Bola Tinubu, arguing that expanding the ruling party’s campaign council is merely an attempt to deflect from widespread public suffering and economic distress. Atiku criticized the administration’s priorities, pointing to rising poverty rates, inflation, and insecurity while questioning the decision to inaugurate the political council inside the Presidential Villa.
- Positive Impact: Intensified political scrutiny holds leaders accountable and forces parties to address pressing public welfare issues ahead of elections.
- Potential Concerns: Heightened political friction and partisan attacks could distract the government from executing critical economic and security policies needed to alleviate citizens’ daily struggles.
