Wrestle with your failures, not opponents, Atiku blasts Tinubu over 2027 remark

Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has attacked President Bola Tinubu, urging him to abandon what he described as political grandstanding and focus instead on addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges.

Reacting to President Tinubu’s recent declaration that he was prepared to “wrestle his opponents to the finish,” Atiku said the president’s remarks betrayed the desperation of a leader struggling under the weight of his administration’s failures.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described Tinubu as “a drowning man” attempting to distract Nigerians from what he called an abysmal record in office.

“Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents,” Atiku declared.

He expressed concern that the president made the comment while responding to a call by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for credible, transparent and peaceful elections, arguing that the occasion required reassurance and statesmanship rather than combative rhetoric.

According to Atiku, Tinubu’s response reflected the aloofness that has come to define his administration and demonstrated a lack of humility expected of a president addressing one of the country’s most respected religious institutions.

Rather than threatening political opponents, Atiku said the president should channel his energy towards tackling inflation, food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity and the country’s economic decline.

“The president should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury. He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals. He should wrestle with the unemployment that has robbed an entire generation of hope. He should wrestle with an economy suffocating under policy inconsistency, reckless borrowing and dwindling investor confidence,” he said.

The former vice president argued that governments with poor records often resort to political theatrics in an attempt to divert attention from public dissatisfaction.

“These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in performance in government. Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira,” Atiku stated.

He further contended that the president’s biggest political challenge was not the opposition but the performance of his own administration.

“His greatest opponent is his own record. Every unpaid worker, every struggling business, every unemployed graduate, every victim of insecurity and every hungry family is a living testimony to the consequences of his administration’s choices. That is the contest he has consistently failed to win,” he added.

He also reminded the president that democratic elections are decided by voters, not political bravado.

“Democracy is a marketplace of ideas and accountability. Governments earn another term through competence, compassion and measurable results—not through combative rhetoric. In 2027, Nigerians will not be stepping into a wrestling arena. They will be stepping into polling units to deliver a constitutional verdict,” he said.

He urged Tinubu to spend the remainder of his tenure confronting the country’s pressing challenges rather than engaging in what he described as unnecessary political battles.

“The Nigerian people are not looking for a wrestler. They are looking for a leader. History will not remember who shouted the loudest. It will remember who governed the best.”

The exchange follows President Tinubu’s remarks during an audience with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria in Abuja, where he reportedly declared that he would “wrestle” his political opponents “to the finishing point,” in the 2027 general election. The statement came as the bishops urged political leaders and institutions to guarantee credible, transparent and peaceful elections.

Atiku’s criticism is the latest in a series of exchanges between the opposition and the Presidency over the state of the economy, rising cost of living, insecurity and preparations for the next general election.

The former vice president, who is expected to play a leading role in the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress, has repeatedly accused the Tinubu administration of economic mismanagement, while the presidency has consistently defended its reforms as necessary measures that require time to deliver lasting benefits.