Atiku Urges Tinubu to Focus on Economy and Security

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to focus on Nigeria's severe economic and security crises rather than engaging in political confrontations with opponents. The criticism follows remarks made by President Tinubu on Tuesday, July -28, 2026, during a meeting with leaders of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the State House in Abuja.

In that meeting, President Tinubu stated he would not give political opponents a red carpet but would "wrestle with them to the finishing point" ahead of the 2027 general election. Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, responded in a statement issued on Wednesday, July 29, describing the president's comments as combative rhetoric from a "drowning man" attempting to divert attention from his administration's failures.

Atiku argued that the president's response lacked the courtesy and decorum expected during an engagement with a respected religious institution, which had appealed for credible and peaceful elections. He maintained that the government's primary challenge is its own record, not opposition parties, and that millions of Nigerians are grappling with...