Opaque budget: Insulting me won’t save you, Atiku knocks Tinubu

Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the presidency of resorting to personal attacks and diversionary tactics instead of providing transparency regarding President Bola Tinubu's background. Abubakar stated that the presidency's recent statements, which focused on insults rather than accountability, demonstrate a failure to address legitimate public interest issues.

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When governments abandon facts for insults and substitute evidence with abuse, they unwittingly admit that they have run out of convincing answers.

"When governments abandon facts for insults and substitute evidence with abuse, they unwittingly admit that they have run out of convincing answers," Abubakar said in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. He argued that Nigerians expected clarification on critical matters but received "a barrage of name-calling and political invective" instead.

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Nigerians expected clarification. What they received instead was a barrage of name-calling and political invective.

Abubakar emphasized that questioning matters contained in public records should not be misconstrued as an attack on Nigeria's sovereignty. He asserted that the issues arise from publicly available records concerning the occupant of the nation's highest office, not from opposition fabrication. He criticized the administration's attempt to silence inquiry by invoking national pride, stating it does not answer the country's questions.

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The issue concerns questions arising from publicly available records relating to the occupant of the nation’s highest office.

The former Vice President also noted the irony of an administration seeking foreign investment and endorsements while portraying international scrutiny as an assault on Nigeria's independence. He dismissed the notion that electoral victory negates the need for public accountability. Abubakar urged the presidency to abandon its combative stance and provide clear, factual responses to allegations, including whether President Tinubu forfeited money to the U.S. government on account of drug-related offenses. He insisted that legitimate public inquiry will not be silenced until these questions are answered with facts, stating, "The Nigerian people deserve answers, not insults. They deserve transparency, not diversion."

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The Nigerian people deserve answers, not insults. They deserve transparency, not diversion.