The Presidency of Nigeria has strongly criticised a call for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, labelling it “reckless” in light of the escalating security incidents of killings and kidnappings in Nigeria.
In his statement, Abubakar asserted that the President was not adequately addressing the economic and security challenges facing the nation.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued a statement countering Atiku’s claims, asserting that Tinubu is effectively managing the security situation in Nigeria.
The Presidency accused Atiku of deliberately ignoring President Tinubu’s substantial efforts towards achieving peace and prosperity, accusing him of engaging in opportunistic politics on national matters.
Days after Atiku made allegations against the President regarding the crude-for-loan deal for NNPC Limited, the Presidency criticised his latest statement as falling short of the expected conduct from an elder statesman.
The statement from the Presidency stated, “We like to believe that Alhaji Atiku is still not nursing hangover of his electoral defeat and now latches on any issue to attack President Tinubu.”
Moreover, the Presidency emphasised that President Tinubu did not travel without informing Nigerians of his whereabouts, announcing a private visit to France along with the return date.
“President Tinubu did not travel without informing Nigerians of his whereabout. He announced a private visit to France and announced a return date.”
“While in France, President Tinubu has been following developments at home, and he is on top of the situation in the country,” the statement continued.
The Presidency highlighted President Tinubu’s involvement in the inauguration of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, affirming his commitment to addressing pressing issues.
The statement clarified, “He is in constant touch with his officials and security chiefs and has directed them to stamp out every form of criminality in the country.
“He has particularly ordered them to apprehend those criminals responsible for the murder of two monarchs in Ekiti State and the kidnapping of some pupils in the state.”
“We are already seeing results with the arrest of over 139 kidnappers around Abuja, Kaduna, and Benue States in the last one week. The police Special Intervention Squad (SIS) and DSS have also rescued 154 abducted persons in the last few days,” according to the statement.
President Tinubu approved N50 billion as a Special Fund to address security challenges in the North East, and funds were also approved to acquire equipment for tracking criminals in the FCT.
The statement concluded, “If Alhaji Atiku is really concerned about security issues and not playing cheap politics, he should have known that President Tinubu is on top of issues and working hard to restore peace to every part of our country.
“Our security agencies are working very hard to bring the security situation under control. President Tinubu is giving them all the necessary support they need to win the battle against criminal elements and secure every inch of our country.”
Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s Vice President from May 1999 to May 2007, emerged as one of President Tinubu’s main challengers in the 2023 presidential poll, securing second place with 6,984,520 votes while President Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes.