Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the 31st of January, 2025, accused President Bola Tinubu of leveraging state machinery to wage war against the opposition rather than fighting corruption.
Atiku contended that Tinubu’s administration was not genuinely combating corruption in Nigeria but was instead twisting the system to serve its own interests.
His criticism came in response to the arrest of a prominent Northern critic of Tinubu’s government, Prof. Usman Yusuf, by security agents.
Taking to X, the former Vice President expressed his outrage:
“Two days ago, the nation was jolted by the arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a fierce and unyielding social critic.”
He emphasized that despite the allegations against Yusuf lingering since the previous administration, the circumstances of his arrest strongly suggested a politically motivated crackdown:
“Though the charges against him have been festering since the previous administration, it is impossible to ignore the strong likelihood that his detention is politically motivated.”
Atiku further lambasted Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of shielding scandal-ridden allies while using state institutions as tools of suppression:
“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals who themselves are embroiled in scandals and investigations by both local and international authorities, continues to use the very machinery of the state to silence its critics. It weaponizes these pending investigations to suppress all opposition.”
Denouncing what he called a blatant misuse of power, Atiku highlighted the administration’s hypocrisy:
“It is absurd that while the administration shelters those under investigation, it continues to exploit state institutions to stifle dissent, all under the false pretence of combating corruption.”
With a final damning verdict, Atiku declared that Tinubu’s true battle was not against corruption but against the opposition, manipulating the system for political gain:
“Even to the most inattentive, it has become glaringly clear that Tinubu is not waging a war on corruption he is waging a war on the opposition, manipulating the system for his own political advantage.”