April 17, (THEWILL) — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a strong rebuttal to President Bola Tinubu over criticisms of his role in Nigeria’s privatisation programme, accusing the current administration of policy inconsistency and lack of transparency in ongoing reforms.
The response follows remarks by President Tinubu on Thursday at the Presidential Villa while hosting members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), a grassroots mobilization group designed to promote his re-election bid in 2027.
Tinubu had faulted Atiku’s past involvement in Nigeria’s privatisation initiatives, describing them as unsuccessful and alleging that the former vice president was attempting to “privatise” the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the president’s comments as a “reckless tirade” marked by “hypocrisy and historical amnesia.”
“Atiku Abubakar’s attention has been drawn to the latest reckless tirade by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — a performance that exposes not just desperation, but a troubling pattern of hypocrisy and historical amnesia,” the statement said.
The former vice president defended his long-standing advocacy for privatisation, particularly his position on restructuring state-owned enterprises such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and divesting government interests in refineries to private investors.
He argued that policies currently being implemented under the Tinubu administration mirror proposals he had championed for years but alleged that they are now being executed without sufficient transparency.
“This is not reform; it is privatisation without accountability,” he stated.
The statement further accused the president of failing to engage with documented policy history, insisting that Atiku’s economic positions have remained consistent over time.
“You cannot oppose reform when it demands courage and then execute a shadow version of it in power,” he added.
Beyond the policy dispute, Atiku also linked current economic conditions to what he described as flawed implementation of reforms, citing rising inflation, declining purchasing power, and worsening business conditions across the country.
“Across the country, families are skipping meals, businesses are shutting their doors, and hardworking citizens are watching their incomes evaporate under the weight of relentless inflation and collapsing purchasing power. What has been marketed as reform has translated into hardship without relief,” the statement read.
The former Vice President maintained that his record in public service remains “clear, documented, and defensible,” and cautioned against what he described as politically motivated distortions.
“A leader who has not fully resolved questions about his own background should exercise restraint before casting aspersions on others,” he added.
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