Ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu for being overly focused on the 2027 election, despite lacking tangible achievements from his 2023 mandate.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku urged the President to prioritize addressing insecurity, reviving the economy, and refraining from interfering in opposition affairs.

During the inauguration of the newly appointed APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, President Tinubu suggested that more opposition figures would defect to the ruling party, remarking that “you can’t stop them from jumping out of a sinking ship.”

In response, Atiku said President Tinubu has made attacking the opposition a frequent habit, and urged him to instead focus on addressing his differences with Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The former Vice-President stated, “Attacking the opposition has now become his favourite pastime — even while the country burns under his watch. This constant attack on the opposition is a distraction by a man clearly overwhelmed by the mess in his own house.

“President Tinubu should first sort out the obvious rift between himself and Vice President Kashim Shettima and the broken Nigerian economy before poking his nose into the affairs of the ADC.

“We wish to state for the record that Tinubu and his political camp have been sponsoring crises within the opposition parties. It beats our imagination as to why the presidency is resorting to wasting scarce public funds to stir up internal conflicts in a bid to weaken alternative political voices.

“We are fully aware that the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi within the Coalition were orchestrated by the presidency. Unfortunately for them, their divisive game has failed  – the cracks have been sealed, and the Coalition stands stronger than ever.”

Atiku accused President Tinubu of weaponizing state institutions, particularly anti-corruption agencies, to intimidate and coerce opposition leaders into defecting to the APC.

The statement continued, “It’s alarming that more than halfway into his controversial and widely rejected mandate, Tinubu is still leading an APC government that is directionless, incompetent, and completely disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

“While Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty, Tinubu is busy playing petty politics. He has abandoned governance and is fixated on a 2027 re-election campaign despite having nothing to show for his 2023 mandate.

“Rather than wipe out the bandits ravaging Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Niger, and other states, Tinubu is more interested in wiping out opposition voices. His goal is clear: to force Nigeria into a one-party state.

“He is now using state institutions — especially anti-corruption agencies — as tools to harass and blackmail opposition leaders into joining the APC. But let the truth be told: Tinubu fears the Coalition. He knows it is the Coalition that will send him packing — either back to Bourdillon or Iragbiji.”