Stop Hiding Behind Nigeria, Address Public Records – Atiku Charges Tinubu

• Atiku accuses the Tinubu Presidency of abandoning transparency for personal attacks, insisting that Nigerians deserve factual explanations instead of political insults.

• Former Vice President says no one has placed Nigeria on trial, arguing that the controversy centres on publicly available records concerning the occupant of the nation’s highest office.

• ADC presidential candidate maintains that elections do not shield public officials from accountability, stressing that democratic mandates cannot replace openness and public scrutiny.

• Atiku challenges the Presidency to address questions over alleged US forfeiture records with evidence, warning that propaganda, diversion and inflammatory rhetoric cannot erase public records or silence legitimate public inquiry.

July 23, () — Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has renewed pressure on President Bola Tinubu to provide what he described as factual explanations regarding publicly available records linked to the President, accusing the Presidency of resorting to personal attacks instead of addressing issues of public accountability.

The latest intervention came amid an intensifying war of words between the Presidency and the opposition over historical United States court records relating to Tinubu, with both sides exchanging sharp statements over transparency, accountability and the limits of political criticism.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the Presidency’s latest response to his comments was notable for what it failed to address.

According to him, rather than responding to questions attracting public interest, the Presidency chose to launch personal attacks against him, a move he said reflected an inability to offer convincing explanations.

“When governments abandon facts for insults and substitute evidence with abuse, they unwittingly admit that they have run out of convincing answers. Nigerians expected clarification. What they received instead was a barrage of name-calling and political invective”, Atiku stated.

The former Vice President rejected claims that his comments amounted to an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty, insisting that the debate concerns publicly available records relating to the country’s leader and not the Nigerian state.

“No one has reported Nigeria to anyone. Nigeria is not on trial. The issue concerns questions arising from publicly available records relating to the occupant of the nation’s highest office. Those records were not created by the opposition, the ADC, or any political actor. Attempting to silence legitimate public inquiry by wrapping oneself in the national flag does not answer the questions before the country”, he said.

Atiku further faulted the Presidency for reviving old political allegations against him instead of responding directly to the issues he raised.

He argued that Nigerians are capable of separating political mudslinging from evidence-based responses, stressing that attacks on individuals cannot erase documented public records.

“Personal attacks do not erase public records, nor do they substitute for transparency. The Presidency should resist the temptation to personalise issues that require clear and factual explanations”, he added.

Democratic Mandate Does Not End Public Scrutiny

Atiku maintained that while elections confer political legitimacy, they do not extinguish the constitutional right of citizens to demand accountability from those in public office.

According to him, democratic governance requires continuous transparency regardless of electoral outcomes.

“Elections confer political authority, but they do not extinguish the public’s right to ask questions. A democratic mandate is not a substitute for transparency, nor does it exempt any public official from the obligation to account to the people”, he stated.

The former Vice President also criticised what he described as the administration’s contradictory attitude towards international engagement. He noted that while the Federal Government actively seeks foreign investment, international loans, favourable credit ratings and global endorsements, it portrays international scrutiny as an attack on Nigeria whenever uncomfortable issues arise.

“You cannot celebrate international validation when it is convenient and condemn international scrutiny when it becomes uncomfortable. Accountability is not foreign interference; it is a democratic obligation”, Atiku said.

Presidency Urged to Respond With Facts

The ADC presidential candidate urged the Presidency to replace what he called inflammatory rhetoric with verifiable facts. He argued that if the government believes the public records have been misunderstood or misrepresented, it should present evidence instead of engaging in political propaganda.

“If the government believes that the public record has been misunderstood or misrepresented, the appropriate response is to present the facts. Abuse cannot replace evidence, and propaganda cannot replace truth”, he noted.

Atiku maintained that history has consistently shown that governments confident in their integrity respond to public scrutiny with openness rather than hostility.

The former Vice President insisted that Nigerians deserve answers to lingering questions over the President’s alleged forfeiture of funds to the United States Government, saying transparency is indispensable in any democracy.

“The Nigerian people deserve answers, not insults. They want to know if their President forfeited money to the Government of the United States of America on account of alleged drug-related offences. They deserve transparency, not diversion. Until those questions are addressed with facts, no amount of outrage or personal attacks will silence legitimate public inquiry.”

reports that the statement is the latest in an escalating political confrontation between the Tinubu administration and opposition leaders over historical United States court records relating to President Bola Tinubu. The controversy resurfaced after renewed public debate over the documents, prompting a series of exchanges between the Presidency and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

While the Presidency has consistently defended the President, insisting that the issues have long been resolved legally and constitutionally and accusing the opposition of attempting to discredit the government ahead of the 2027 elections, Atiku Abubakar has maintained that the matter is not about partisan Politics but about public accountability and transparency.