In a statement released on Saturday, November 7, 2026, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic stewardship and defended his personal investments in the educational sector.
The political friction escalated after President Tinubu publicly questioned how Atiku managed to build private educational institutions while serving as Vice President between 1999 and 2007, alleging potential ethical compromises and improper use of public office.
Responding through a statement signed by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku firmly dismissed the President’s accusations as a deliberate ploy to divert public attention from pressing national grievances.
Setting the record straight on his business background, the former Vice President clarified that his investment in education long predated his entry into high public office, noting that he laid the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, an institution that subsequently expanded into the American University of Nigeria in Yola.
Drawing a sharp contrast between their respective histories, Atiku asserted that his own venture into private enterprise and public service is completely traceable.
He pointedly referenced the 1993 United States court civil forfeiture case involving funds in accounts tied to Tinubu, contrasting his own legitimate track record in commerce with what he described as the President’s complex and opaque background.
Turning directly to the socio-economic conditions in the country, Atiku stressed that the defining issue for the 2027 general elections will be reversing the widespread hardship caused by current policies. He criticized the administration over soaring fuel prices, high inflation, mass unemployment, mounting public debt, and a severe cost-of-living crisis.
Maintaining that a government managing widespread poverty has no moral basis to seek another mandate, Atiku stated that the administration must answer to Nigerians on how it plans to stabilise the national economy before asking for their votes.
