By Suleiman Ibrahim.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of abandoning his duties by embarking on a two-week “working visit” to France while Nigeria grapples with a spiraling security crisis. In a statement released through his media office on Wednesday, Atiku described the president’s trip as a “vacation cloaked in official jargon” and a “dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale.”
Atiku’s broadside comes amidst growing public outcry over the escalating violence in Plateau and Benue states, as well as the resurgence of Boko Haram in Borno. He argues that Nigeria is “in a full-blown state of emergency” and that the president’s presence is urgently needed at home.
“On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu flew out to France. Had this absurd announcement come just a day earlier, Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April Fool’s joke. But sadly, it’s no prank — just another insult to a nation pushed to the brink by a presidency that treats its citizens like fools,” Atiku’s statement read.
He dismissed the presidency’s explanation of a “working visit” as mere spin, highlighting that Tinubu would have spent a cumulative 59 days in France since assuming office upon his return. “While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos,” Atiku asserted, citing the mounting death toll in Plateau, the ongoing violence in Benue, and the Boko Haram threat.
Atiku’s criticism echoes earlier calls by Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who labeled Tinubu a “retreating president” and urged him to suspend his trip. Both opposition figures paint a grim picture of a nation left leaderless in the face of escalating crises.
“This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale,” Atiku stated, questioning the president’s priorities and accusing him of “contemptuous” behavior. He further challenged Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on his own “disastrous presidency,” contrasting it with the president’s earlier declaration of a political emergency in Rivers State.
“Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon,” Atiku concluded, demanding the president’s immediate return to address the pressing issues plaguing the nation.
