Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a scathing attack on 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 Tinubu’s Tuesday 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 resorted 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,” Atiku added.

The exchange follows 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.

Also on Wednesday, Atiku accused Tinubu’s administration of losing control of Nigeria’s public finances following a report  that the Federal Government borrowed far above the limit approved by the National Assembly in the 2024 fiscal year.

Atiku said the latest figures, which showed that the Federal Government exceeded its approved borrowing ceiling by N4.79tn, pushing total fresh borrowing to N12.62tn, underscored what he described as a pattern of fiscal recklessness, opacity and waste under the current administration.

In a statement issued by Shaibu, Atiku said Nigerians were assured that the removal of fuel subsidy, increased taxation and other economic reforms would reduce borrowing and stabilise the country’s finances, but argued that the opposite had occurred.

According to him, the latest borrowing figures demonstrated that the government’s economic policies had failed to achieve their stated objectives.

“Nigerians were promised that the painful removal of fuel subsidy, repeated tax hikes and other harsh economic measures would reduce borrowing and restore fiscal stability

“Instead, the country is witnessing the exact opposite: endless borrowing, ballooning debt and unprecedented waste,” the statement read.

Citing figures from the Budget Office, Atiku noted that the Federal Government borrowed 61.2 per cent above the amount authorised by the National Assembly.

He also questioned the source of an additional N3.19tn reportedly obtained as “budget support,” despite there being no provision for such borrowing in the approved appropriation.

He described the development as part of a broader pattern of financial mismanagement.

“This is not an isolated incident. It fits into a disturbing pattern that has become the defining signature of the Tinubu administration: duplication, opacity and reckless fiscal management,” he stated.

The ADC chieftain further accused the administration of operating duplicated budgets, concealing huge expenditures under the Service Wide Vote, creating what he described as “fake agencies,” and approving extravagant spending on luxury vehicles while critical sectors remained underfunded.

Questioning the impact of the borrowings, Atiku argued that there was little evidence that the funds had translated into improvements in education, healthcare, security or infrastructure.

“The tragedy is that Nigerians are being forced to service debts whose benefits they cannot see,” he said.

He also pointed to reports that higher international crude oil prices had generated an estimated N7.98tn oil revenue windfall for the Federal Government, arguing that increased earnings should ordinarily have reduced the country’s dependence on borrowing.

“A government earning windfalls while borrowing recklessly is not suffering from lack of revenue; it is suffering from lack of discipline,” Atiku declared.

The former Vice President also expressed concern over the country’s rising debt servicing obligations, noting that the Budget Office report showed debt servicing reached N12.36tn, exceeding budgetary projections by more than 52 per cent.

He warned that Nigeria was approaching a dangerous fiscal position where government borrowing would primarily be used to repay existing debts.

“This is not economic reform. It is fiscal vandalism,” he added.

Atiku said an ADC-led government would prioritise blocking financial leakages, eliminating waste and directing public funds toward productive investments capable of stimulating economic growth and improving citizens’ welfare.

“The Nigerian people cannot continue paying today’s taxes to service yesterday’s loans while tomorrow’s generations inherit only debt,” the statement added.