Why Presidency Is Accusing Atiku Of Envying Tinubu

The Presidency has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of envy over his recent criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, urging him to move beyond what it calls his “illusions and fantasies” regarding his electoral defeat and the country’s economic policies.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the presidency accused Atiku of envy and failing to accept his loss in the 2023 presidential election to Tinubu.

Onanuga suggested that Atiku, who has sought the presidency multiple times unsuccessfully, might be grappling with envy over Tinubu’s victory, leading him to critique policies he does not fully understand.

The statement called Atiku’s economic proposals—summarized in his recent “What We Would Have Done Differently” narrative—”untested and unrealistic,” asserting that they lack practical solutions to Nigeria’s current challenges. Onanuga emphasized that Tinubu’s administration inherited a nation with deep-seated economic issues, worsened by a fuel subsidy system that drained resources while yielding little for the average Nigerian. The Tinubu administration’s bold reforms, he argued, were necessary to prevent the economy from collapsing under the weight of subsidies and dwindling revenue.

Highlighting Tinubu’s swift action plan to address these problems, the statement criticized Atiku’s proposal for a consultation period, saying that such delays would have been detrimental to the urgent economic needs of Nigeria. “A leader must be prepared to tackle challenges from Day One, as President Tinubu has done,” the statement read.

Onanuga also took aim at Atiku’s suggestion of privatizing government-owned refineries, pointing out that previous efforts by the former vice president to privatize public assets led to poor outcomes, as many assets were sold at low prices and eventually stripped of value. In contrast, the current administration plans to lease the refineries to private managers under a regulated rate of return, a strategy it believes will safeguard national assets while boosting local production and stabilizing prices.

Addressing Atiku’s call for phased subsidy removal, the statement argued that such an approach would have been unsustainable. Onanuga noted that the subsidy removal allowed Nigeria to save an estimated N5.4 trillion, which is being redirected toward infrastructure and social programs aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians. He also cited the administration’s efforts to alleviate the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable citizens, including direct cash transfers to over 20 million Nigerians and the launch of social programs like student loans and the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative.

Besides the claim of envy of Tinubu, the statement accused Atiku of hypocrisy in his foreign exchange recommendations, labeling his proposed managed float as a repackaged version of the outdated fixed exchange rate system. Onanuga argued that Tinubu’s exchange rate reforms were essential to prevent the “privileged few” from monopolizing access to foreign currency at subsidized rates.

The presidency closed with a rebuke of Atiku’s record, pointing to corruption allegations from his tenure as vice president and questioning his credibility on issues of economic reform. The statement emphasized that Tinubu remains focused on guiding Nigeria toward long-term prosperity through decisive and forward-thinking policies.

Atiku’s camp has yet to respond to the statement, but this latest exchange underline the widening rift between the two political figures, as they continue to spar over the country’s future direction.
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