Atiku blasts Tinubu, says China comparison invites tough public scrutiny

African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has escalated his war of words with President Bola Tinubu. He argues that the Presidency’s decision to invoke China’s justice system in a political attack has exposed the administration to intense public scrutiny.

 

​In a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shaibu, Atiku labelled the Presidency’s argument a monumental own goal. He noted that China’s stringent legal framework prescribes the death penalty for severe drug trafficking offences.

 

​”It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock,” Atiku stated.

 

​War of Words and Historical Precedents

​The war of words follows recent moves by Atiku’s United States-based lobbying team. The team submitted petitions to Donald Trump, the United States Congress, and other American authorities concerning President Tinubu’s historical United States civil forfeiture case.

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​Atiku maintained that he has never faced indictment or conviction locally or internationally for corruption or narcotics offences. He challenged the administration’s logic, suggesting that benchmark comparisons must apply universally.

 

​”The facts are neither complicated nor disputable. Atiku Abubakar has never been indicted or convicted by any court in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world for corruption, narcotics offences or, indeed, any criminal offence whatsoever,” he said.

 

​Governance Failures and Accountability

​Shaibu asserted that if the Presidency views China as a benchmark for accountability, authorities must explain how Beijing would handle cases involving funds linked to narcotics trafficking and money laundering, such as the $460,000 forfeited previously in the United States.

 

​Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of presiding over widespread governance failures. These include alleged budget padding, economic hardship, rising hunger, and deteriorating security.

 

​The ADC candidate dismissed routine diplomatic correspondence brandished by the government as a judicial acquittal. He urged the administration to redirect its political capital toward resolving national crises rather than manufacturing political diversions.