By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected the defence of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, describing it as a desperate attempt at revisionism.

In a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the government’s claims on public debt, subsidy removal, debt servicing and workers’ welfare collapse under the weight of publicly available facts.

“Which salary increase is the government talking about? The Federal Government is yet to fully implement the new minimum wage. The 40 per cent peculiar allowance tied to the wage adjustment remains unpaid despite official directives that it should take effect from May 1, 2026,” he said, adding that “these are not opposition allegations; they are the grievances of organised labour.”

On the administration’s public debt profile, Atiku cited figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, noting that the Federal Government’s exposure to the apex bank stood at approximately ₦26.9 trillion when President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, and has since risen to over ₦40.38 trillion.

He said CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso had disclosed that the bank’s credit to the Federal Government rose from ₦22.99 trillion in May 2025 to ₦40.38 trillion in May 2026, an increase of ₦17.39 trillion, or 77.6 per cent, within one year.

“This administration has not reduced its indebtedness to the CBN. It has merely changed the label on the debt by converting Ways and Means advances into Treasury Bills and bonds while simultaneously piling up fresh obligations. That is debt restructuring—not debt repayment,” he said.

Atiku also challenged the government’s claim that subsidy savings are financing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), citing an earlier disclosure by the fund’s Chief Executive Officer.

According to him, the Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND had publicly stated that the scheme received a ₦50 billion injection from recovered funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.

“If that is the case, why is the government now presenting subsidy savings as the source?” he asked.

He further faulted attempts to blame rising debt servicing costs solely on high interest rates, pointing instead to government borrowing patterns under the current Monetary Policy Rate regime.

Atiku said government’s insatiable appetite for borrowing has crowded out productive businesses while pushing debt servicing to unsustainable levels, adding that to now blame interest rates is nothing short of an admission of policy failure.

The former Vice President listed food prices, inflation, business closures, unemployment, naira depreciation and deepening poverty as the realities confronting Nigerians, which he said no presentation could obscure.

He urged government officials to abandon media spin and confront the country’s economic realities with sincerity and accountability.

Phrank Shaibu on Sunday accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of always launching on against Atiku Abubakar whenever a presidential election approaches.

Shaibu, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, made the observation interview with DAILY POST.

He was reacting to Obasanjo’s latest attack on Atiku.

Shaibu said Obasanjo dusts off old grievances and repackages personal bitterness as national interest against Atiku during elections.

Obasanjo had claimed that picking Atiku as his vice president was his biggest mistake as president of Nigeria.

However, Shaibu said history cannot be rewritten with resentment and personal vendettas cannot substitute for truth.

He said, “The pattern you have identified is one that Nigerians can also see. It is difficult to ignore the fact that, as every major election approaches, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo resurfaces with fresh attacks against Atiku Abubakar. This time, it was not just his book. At a recent public event, he again declared that choosing Atiku as Vice President was the biggest mistake of his political career.

“There is an African saying that only a fool walks into the same trap twice. If Chief Obasanjo truly believes choosing Atiku Abubakar as Vice President was his greatest political mistake, then he alone must explain why he willingly repeated that “mistake” a second time. More importantly, after their re-election, Chief Obasanjo openly acknowledged Atiku’s immense contribution to that victory and even invited him to stand beside him during his victory acceptance speech. Those are historical facts that neither speeches nor books can erase. Nigerians can draw their own conclusions.

“Whether this is a deliberate attempt to stop Atiku from becoming President or simply part of Chief Obasanjo’s political style is for Nigerians to judge. What is undeniable, however, is the recurring pattern of election-season interventions targeted at one individual.

“Chief Obasanjo’s book is also not a contribution to history; it is a political weapon forged in bitterness and deployed at every election cycle against those he wishes to stop. It is less a memoir than an attempt to settle old scores and rewrite history in his own image.

“Before sitting in judgment over Nigeria’s future, Chief Obasanjo should first make peace with his own household. His family disputes have long played out in the public arena. In a widely publicised open letter, his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, described him as “a liar, wife beater, manipulator, [and] two-faced hypocrite” and accused him of orchestrating the failed third-term agenda despite his public denials. She also questioned his moral authority to sit in judgment over others. Those were serious public allegations made by someone who knew him intimately, and they underscore why Chief Obasanjo should exercise greater restraint before presenting himself as Nigeria’s moral compass.

“Nigerians have seen this movie before. As elections approach, Chief Obasanjo dusts off old grievances, repackages personal bitterness as national interest, and hopes to shape the political landscape. But history cannot be rewritten with resentment, and personal vendettas cannot substitute for truth.

“His latest remarks and his book say far more about his inability to let go of the past than they do about the man he seeks to diminish. Nigerians are wiser today. They will judge Atiku Abubakar by his records, his ideas, and his capacity to solve the country’s problems—not by recurring election-season interventions or revisionist narratives.”

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged the Commissioner of Police deployed for the August 15 governorship election in the state, Samuel Etaifo, to ensure a violence-free poll.

Oyintiloye made the call while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, stressing that a credible election could only be achieved in a peaceful atmosphere.

He urged the police to be neutral and professional in the discharge of it’s duties, particularly on the election day.

He said the election is already generating tension, the reason why the police must ensure the protection of voters and the integrity of the ballot.

“The protection of the electorate before, during, and after the election should be the major priority of the police. I want to appeal to the Commissioner of Police deployed for the election to ensure adequate protection of the electorate at all stages of the electoral process.

“A credible election can only take place in a peaceful environment. That is why we are urging security agencies, particularly the police, to maintain a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.

Oyintiloye also urged political actors, especially members of opposition parties, to shun violence, noting that elections are not a war and should not be treated as such.

He also appealed to members of the public to cooperate with and support security operatives in their efforts to ensure the safety of lives and property before, during, and after the election.

He called on the police not to spare anyone who might foment trouble, irrespective of political affiliation, adding that the state should not be turned into a theatre of violence because of the election.

“Elections will come and go, but the state and its people will remain. Police and other security agencies must not spare anyone caught fomenting trouble regardless of status,” he said.

The APC chieftain also expressed optimism that the party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, would emerge victorious in the election.

He described Oyebamiji as a competent, experienced, and visionary leader whose commitment to inclusive governance and people-oriented policies would accelerate development and improve the welfare of all residents of Osun State.

He said Oyebamiji and the APC would record a resounding victory with the support of the electorate