The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu as a “drowning man” resorting to political theatre to divert attention from what he called the failures of his administration.
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Atiku was reacting to Tinubu’s declaration that he would not give his political opponents a “red carpet” but would “wrestle” with them to the finishing point ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Tinubu made the remark on Tuesday while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, led by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said no amount of combative rhetoric could rescue a government that had allegedly lost the confidence of Nigerians.
He said it was particularly disturbing that Tinubu made the comment while responding to an appeal by the Catholic bishops for credible, transparent and peaceful elections.
According to Atiku, the President’s response demonstrated a lack of the courtesy, humility and decorum expected during an engagement with one of Nigeria’s respected religious institutions.
“Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku said.
The former Vice-President argued that a government confronting a severe cost-of-living crisis should be focused on reducing inflation, defeating hunger, restoring security, stabilising the naira and rebuilding public confidence rather than threatening to wrestle political opponents.
He urged Tinubu to wrestle with the hardship forcing millions of Nigerians to skip meals, insecurity affecting farming communities and highways, unemployment among young people and an economy he alleged was suffering from policy inconsistency, rising borrowing and declining investor confidence.
According to Atiku, leaders who fail to deliver often resort to political theatre in an attempt to drown out the complaints of citizens.
“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in performance in government,” he said.
“Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira.”
Atiku maintained that the greatest opponent confronting Tinubu was neither the ADC nor any other opposition party, but the record of his administration.
He said unpaid workers, struggling businesses, unemployed graduates, victims of insecurity and families battling hunger represented what he described as the consequences of the government’s policy choices.
“His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win,” he said.
Atiku further argued that democracy should be determined through ideas, accountability and measurable achievements rather than intimidation or combative language.
“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. Governments earn another term through competence, compassion and measurable results—not through combative rhetoric,” he said.
“In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict.”
The ADC presidential candidate urged Tinubu to devote the remainder of his tenure to addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges instead of creating what he described as imaginary political battles.
“The Nigerian people are not looking for a wrestler. They are looking for a leader. History will not remember who shouted the loudest. It will remember who governed the best,” Atiku added.
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