Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency—not on the country, but on his own “disastrous presidency.”
In a strongly worded statement issued by his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, Atiku accused President Tinubu of abandoning the country in a time of deepening crisis, choosing instead to remain in France under the guise of a “working visit.”
“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency,” the statement read. “While Tinubu is away, Plateau State has become a killing field and Benue State is bleeding. The country is unraveling under the weight of insecurity, poverty, and leadership failure.”
Atiku slammed the president’s extended absence, saying Tinubu had spent a total of 59 days in France since taking office—a figure he described as “staggering and disgraceful.”
“Even if this isn’t a medical trip, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds?” the statement continued. “It’s not just irresponsible—it’s contemptuous.”
The former Vice President argued that the president’s trip lacked both transparency and necessity, insisting there was nothing Tinubu was doing abroad that he could not have handled from within Nigeria.
He also criticized Tinubu’s handling of the security situation, citing the ongoing killings in Plateau and Benue, Boko Haram’s resurgence, and the deepening hardship facing Nigerians across the country.
“This isn’t just negligence—it’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale,” Atiku stated. “A leader with an ounce of empathy would cut his trip short and return immediately to confront the national emergency at home.”
He further accused the president of using political emergencies for partisan advantage, referencing the recent declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State. According to Atiku, the real emergency is the collapse of governance under the Tinubu administration.
“At what point will President Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own presidency?” he asked. “Because that’s exactly where we are—a presidency in free fall, dragging Nigeria down with it.”
The statement comes amid growing criticism from opposition leaders and civil society groups over the president’s perceived aloofness during a period of rising insecurity and economic hardship.
