- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar fired back at the Tinubu administration after it revived old allegations against him over the power sector and privatisation
- Atiku, through his aide Phrank Shaibu, said no government has invited him for questioning or produced evidence against him despite nearly two decades of allegations
- The former VP demanded that the administration answer what happened to revenue collected after petrol subsidy was removed from Nigerians
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dared the Tinubu administration and its allies to either bring him in for investigation or stop recycling old allegations whenever his camp presses for accountability over Nigeria’s public finances.
In a statement sighted by Legit.ng and signed by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, on Wednesday, August 26, Atiku said the sudden resurfacing of accusations about the power sector and privatisation was a deliberate attempt to change the subject away from a question his camp has been asking: what happened to the money saved after petrol subsidy was removed?
Source: UGC
Atiku on the old allegations
Atiku acknowledged chairing the National Council on Privatisation during his time as vice president but said he disagreed with the concept of the power project and took no part in running it.
He said the same applied to the Aluminium Smelter matter, noting that the responsible minister handled implementation.
“The National Assembly investigated the power projects. I was never invited to answer any allegation of wrongdoing,” he said.
He pointed out that he left office in 2007 and has spent much of the time since opposing successive governments in power. With all the investigative resources available to the Nigerian state, no administration had taken him to court.
“If there is evidence that I stole public money, why has no government produced it before a court? It is still not too late. Investigate me. Invite me. Produce the evidence. Prosecute me if you have a case. But propaganda cannot substitute for evidence.”
Atiku vs Tinubu: The Subsidy question
Atiku said the real reason for the attack is that his demand for accountability over subsidy removal revenue strikes at the core of the Tinubu administration’s economic argument.
Source: Facebook
He described the hardship Nigerians have faced since the removal, citing rising petrol prices, costlier transport, more expensive food, and a sharp fall in the purchasing power of workers. At the same time, he said, government revenues have grown while fiscal waivers, tax credits, and concessions continue to flow to powerful interests.
“You cannot take relief away from the poor, celebrate the resulting revenue and then tell the same impoverished citizens that government intervention on their behalf is economically irresponsible while interventions benefiting powerful interests are called incentives. That hypocrisy is precisely what we are challenging.”
He closed with a direct challenge, saying no amount of social-media attacks would stop him from demanding accountability or from pushing for policies that restore purchasing power to ordinary Nigerians.
“You removed the subsidy. You collected the savings. Where is the money?”
Atiku Abubakar served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007 and was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress before resigning from the party on May 2, 2026.
Atiku disowns aide’s comments on fuel subsidy
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, publicly distanced himself from remarks made by one of his media aides on the question of fuel subsidy.
The former vice president reaffirmed that he will restore the policy if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Source: Legit.ng