Former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of shifting responsibility for Nigeria’s worsening security situation instead of taking decisive action to address the crisis.
Atiku, through his media aide, Paul Ibe, said the Federal Government should stop blaming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for insecurity, insisting that President Tinubu inherited the challenge from the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The latest exchange follows the abduction of pupils and teachers from two schools in Ahoro-Esinle, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The victims were reportedly kidnapped by armed men who attacked the area and took away primary school pupils and teachers from LA School and Community Grammar School.
The incident has renewed concerns over the security situation in parts of the country, particularly the safety of school children and rural communities.
Following the abduction, President Tinubu sent a high-level delegation to the affected community. Members of the delegation included his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and other senior government officials.
The visit was aimed at showing support to the affected families and assessing the security situation in the area.
However, comments made by Ribadu during discussions on the security challenge sparked criticism from opposition figures.
The National Security Adviser reportedly said the Tinubu administration inherited serious security challenges and suggested that the roots of the problem could be traced to previous administrations, including those led by the PDP.
His remarks drew a swift reaction from Atiku’s camp, which accused the APC-led government of attempting to rewrite history and avoid accountability.
In a statement posted on X by Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide described Ribadu’s position as misleading and unfair.
According to him, it was wrong for the Federal Government to blame a party that left office more than a decade ago for the inability of the current administration to rescue abducted school children and teachers.
“This is revisionism à la APC,” Ibe wrote.
“It is disingenuous of NSA Nuhu Ribadu to blame the inability of the Tinubu-led APC administration to safely rescue the Oyo abducted school children on the PDP government that the APC replaced 11 years ago.”
The statement further argued that the APC had been in power long enough to take full responsibility for the country’s security challenges.
The APC came to power in 2015 when former President Muhammadu Buhari defeated then President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP. Buhari served two terms and handed over to President Tinubu in May 2023.
Atiku’s camp maintained that if insecurity remains a major national problem after more than a decade of APC rule, the governing party should accept responsibility rather than continue to blame previous administrations.
The former Vice President’s aide also questioned what he described as the delayed response of the Federal Government to the Oyo school abduction.
According to him, it took nearly two weeks before the President sent a delegation to visit the affected families and communities.
“By the way, it took the President two weeks to send a delegation to visit the families of the abducted school children and teachers in Oriire,” the statement said.
Ibe further stressed that President Tinubu inherited the security challenges from his immediate predecessor, Buhari, who was also elected on the platform of the APC.
“Tinubu inherited security challenges from his APC predecessor. Keep on blaming everyone except yourself while the children continue to languish in the custody of their abductors in Oyo, Borno and elsewhere,” he added.
The latest disagreement highlights the growing political debate over insecurity as preparations gradually begin for the 2027 general elections.
Security remains one of the biggest concerns facing Nigeria. In recent years, the country has battled terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, kidnappings across several regions, communal clashes, and attacks on communities by criminal groups.
School abductions have become a particularly troubling aspect of the crisis. Since the mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, several schools across northern and central Nigeria have experienced similar attacks, leading to increased fears among parents and education stakeholders.
Successive governments have promised to strengthen security and protect schools, but many communities continue to express concerns about the safety of students and teachers.
The exchange between Atiku and the Federal Government is expected to fuel further debate over who should be held responsible for Nigeria’s security challenges and what measures are needed to address them.
While the government maintains that it inherited deep-rooted security problems, opposition figures argue that years of APC leadership mean the ruling party can no longer shift blame to previous administrations.