Atiku mocks Presidency’s China comparison, warns it cuts both ways

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized the Nigerian Presidency's attempt to draw comparisons with China, arguing the strategy has instead placed President Bola Tinubu under intense scrutiny. Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, stated that a presidential spokesman who uses China as a benchmark for judgment ultimately sets a standard his own principal cannot meet.

"It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock," Shaibu said. He emphasized that capital punishment is the maximum penalty in China for serious drug trafficking offenses. Shaibu maintained that no court, including in Nigeria, has ever indicted or convicted Abubakar for corruption, narcotics offenses, or any crime, describing this record as a "settled public fact."

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It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock.

Instead of viewing the comparison as a threat, Abubakar invited the Presidency to apply it to the case of $460,000 forfeited to the U.S. government in a civil forfeiture matter linked to allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. He argued that Chinese authorities, known for strict enforcement on drug-related matters, would likely view such a forfeiture as the beginning of an investigation, not its conclusion.

Extending the logic, Abubakar suggested that Chinese standards of accountability would also implicate the current administration on other fronts. This includes a national budget allegedly riddled with padding and questionable appropriations, unresolved allegations against a senior presidential aide concerning the creation of a fake government agency, and the perceived gap between the government's "Renewed Hope" promise and the hardship reported by many Nigerians. Shaibu concluded that the episode reflects poorly on the Presidency's messaging strategy, asserting that a media adviser's role is to shield their principal from political missteps, not create them.

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no court anywhere, including in Nigeria, has ever indicted or convicted him for corruption, narcotics offences, or any crime.