Summary
The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday delivered a forceful rebuttal to Senator Adams Oshiomhole, accusing the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of “weaponising noise to mask the catastrophic failures” of the ruling party.
Oshiomhole had earlier described Atiku as an expert in political defection following his formal registration with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after exiting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a strongly phrased statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president’s team insisted that Oshiomhole lacked the moral standing to question Atiku’s leadership credentials, urging him instead to “check the mirror before speaking.”
Shaibu asserted that Oshiomhole’s remarks were deliberate attempts to divert public attention from what he labelled as “the monumental failures of the APC, the very party he helped foist on Nigeria, and the same party that has driven the country to its worst state in decades.”
The statement dismissed Oshiomhole’s comments as “a tired distraction,” noting that Atiku, during his time as Vice President, was not the national chairman of the PDP and did not control the party as a personal fiefdom.
Shaibu emphasized that the PDP was never operated as a “private estate controlled from Bourdillon,” adding that Atiku functioned within a democratic structure where decisions were not “tele-guided by one individual.”
He further argued that if Oshiomhole wished to identify someone who “fixed a party” into a personal empire, he needed only to examine the political godfather he serves. According to Shaibu, under APC rule, internal party democracy collapsed, dissent was suppressed, and state institutions were turned into partisan tools—which he said mirrored the only type of “fixing” Oshiomhole understood.
The statement highlighted Atiku’s national contributions, portraying him as a leader whose accomplishments remain unmatched in modern Nigerian politics. It recalled that Atiku chaired the National Economic Council, restored investor confidence, strengthened private sector growth, and supported economic reforms that shaped the country’s development direction.
“He has never been President, yet his development blueprint remains the most coherent Nigeria has seen in decades,” Shaibu asserted.
Turning his criticism back on the APC lawmaker, Shaibu questioned Oshiomhole’s moral authority, asking how the APC—after eight years under Buhari and nearly three years under President Tinubu—could fail to improve Nigeria and still attempt to challenge Atiku’s credibility.
He contrasted Atiku’s “vision, experience and capacity” with what he described as the APC’s reliance on “noise, propaganda, and a bruising legacy.”
“Oshiomhole represents the failure of a party that betrayed the hopes of millions. He should sit this one out,” Shaibu added.
What You Should Know
This exchange marks another escalation in the political feud between Atiku Abubakar and key figures within the APC.
Oshiomhole’s criticism of Atiku’s move to the ADC was met with a sharp counterpunch from Atiku’s camp, which framed Oshiomhole as a symbol of the APC’s governance failures. The statement defended Atiku’s national achievements, portraying him as a visionary leader constrained only by not having held the presidency.
Meanwhile, the APC’s leadership struggles and its perceived inability to address Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges continue to fuel tensions across the political landscape.
