The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected claims by the Presidency that he remained silent following the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State, insisting he publicly welcomed the development and praised the security agencies involved.
In a statement issued on Saturday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the allegation as a deliberate distortion of facts, accusing the Presidency of either failing to verify publicly available information or intentionally ignoring his earlier statement.
Shaibu said it was surprising that the Presidency could accuse Atiku of silence despite what he described as clear documentary evidence showing that the opposition leader had commended the rescue operation.
“It is astonishing that a Presidency with limitless public resources could accuse someone of silence without carrying out the most basic verification.
“Either they failed to read our statement because they were too lazy to do so, or they deliberately ignored it because it exposed uncomfortable truths about their misplaced priorities,” the statement said.
According to Atiku, he had earlier released a statement titled: “A Nation at War Needs a Commander-in-Chief, Not a Campaigner-in-Chief,” in which he celebrated the rescue of the schoolchildren, applauded the military and other security agencies, and urged the government to sustain efforts to free all Nigerians still being held by kidnappers.
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The former vice president maintained that while the successful rescue deserved national celebration, it should not overshadow the broader security crisis facing the country.
He argued that many families are still waiting for the release of loved ones abducted in previous attacks, including children kidnapped in Borno State and other parts of Nigeria.
Atiku also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the situation, alleging that the president remained focused on partisan political engagements instead of publicly leading the nation in celebrating the rescue and reassuring families of those still in captivity.
He urged the federal government to channel its energy towards tackling insecurity rather than engaging in political disputes with the opposition.
According to him, Nigerians deserve a government committed to securing the freedom of every citizen still in captivity through concrete action rather than political exchanges.
