Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his reported absence from campaign rallies in some states, saying he cannot seek another four-year term while relying on governors, ministers and defectors to defend the hardship Nigerians have endured over the past three and a half years.

Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.

Atiku said Tinubu should account for his first term before asking Nigerians to renew his mandate.

“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?

“He has had three and a half years to govern. In that time, families have been forced to cut meals, postpone medical care and watch their earnings lose value before they get home.

“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term.

“Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decent jobs.

“Tinubu says American creditors cannot wait. Nigerians cannot wait either. They have bills to pay, children to feed and lives to rebuild. They deserve a president who treats their suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors,” Atiku said.

He accused Tinubu of relying on political allies to defend his administration rather than personally addressing Nigerians’ concerns.

“Instead, he is assembling a crowd of politicians to speak for him. He can fill every campaign stage in Nigeria. He cannot fill an empty pot with surrogates. He cannot send a politician into a market to persuade prices to fall.

“The people on his campaign council did not receive the mandate in 2023. Tinubu did. He made the promises. He took the decisions. He must face the questions.

“Nigerians will hear whatever his surrogates have to say. But when they vote, they will remember what they have lived through. No crowd of politicians can stand between Tinubu and his record,” he said.

2927: ‘You want another term but ashamed to face the people’ – Atiku blasts Tinubu