Former VP Says Controversies Have Become a Defining Feature of the Current Government
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu, asserting that a pattern of unresolved scandals has become a regular feature of the government. In a statement released on Sunday, Atiku, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), argued that the latest controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is not an isolated incident but rather the most recent chapter in what he described as an ever-expanding book of scandals.
Atiku’s remarks, delivered through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, paint a picture of an administration where scandals occur regularly, investigations are announced with fanfare, and then the truth allegedly disappears into official silence. He pointed to a series of unresolved issues, including the Humanitarian Affairs scandal, allegations of crude oil theft and illegal tanker releases that faded without publicly released investigative reports, concerns over alleged discrepancies in the 2024 budget, and billions reportedly spent on refinery rehabilitation while public refineries remain largely dysfunctional.
A Pattern of Selective Accountability
The former vice president drew a stark contrast in how the government handles allegations depending on who is involved. According to Atiku, when allegations involve ordinary citizens or politically expendable officials, the machinery of government moves with astonishing speed. However, when questions drift close to the corridors of power or involve individuals perceived to enjoy political protection, investigations slow to a crawl, independent scrutiny gives way to internal administrative reviews, public updates disappear, and accountability quietly evaporates.
Atiku warned that this selective application of justice is corrosive to public confidence because it creates the dangerous impression that there are two systems of accountability in Nigeria: one for the powerful and another for everyone else. He emphasized that a democracy is not measured by how quickly it moves past controversy, but by how honestly it confronts it. He noted that nations lose public trust gradually, each time difficult questions are postponed, reports remain unpublished, accountability appears incomplete, and citizens are left to fill the silence with speculation.
Economic Hardship and Alleged Corruption
Atiku lamented that while millions of Nigerians continue to endure crushing hardship imposed by the government’s so-called reforms, those entrusted with managing the nation’s resources appear to be presiding over an unprecedented wave of corruption. He argued that rather than translating the sacrifices demanded of citizens into improved governance, transparency, and accountability, the country has witnessed a succession of scandals involving public funds, questionable contracts, budget irregularities, and allegations of official misconduct.
He described the situation as both cruel and indefensible, stating that while ordinary Nigerians are being asked to tighten their belts, the nation’s collective patrimony is allegedly being pillaged with alarming impunity.
A Defining Moment for the Presidency
Atiku stated that the PFIPC scandal presents President Tinubu with a unique opportunity to demonstrate that transparency is not merely an aspiration but a governing principle. He implored the president to seize the moment by ordering a truly independent investigation into the PFIPC controversy and publishing its findings in full.
According to Atiku, the presidency now stands at a defining moment. It can permit a truly independent investigation that follows every lead, regardless of whose interests may be implicated. It can answer legitimate questions with facts and transparency. It can demonstrate that no individual is above scrutiny and no issue is too sensitive for public accountability. Anything less, he warned, will only deepen the growing perception that official silence has become this government’s preferred instrument for managing scandals instead of resolving them.
Atiku concluded with a pointed warning, saying that history teaches that governments are not destroyed by allegations; they are diminished by their refusal to confront them. He argued that when every controversy ends in evasion, every question is met with silence, and every scandal fades without accountability, the verdict of the people eventually becomes unavoidable: the scandal is no longer around the government; the government itself becomes the scandal. He posed a direct question to President Tinubu, asking that if every road of controversy leads back to his doorstep, then who, indeed, is the scandal?
Source: Scandal regular feature of Tinubu’s administration – Atiku