Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that attempts to blackmail or silence the opposition will not rescue a government whose record has failed to inspire confidence.

“No amount of deflection or intimidation can rewrite the lived reality of Nigerians. Ultimately, the people will decide, and they will do so based on the evidence before them.

“When lives are lost, and communities are destroyed, governance itself is put on trial. No amount of rhetoric can silence the verdict that comes from the suffering of the people,” Atiku said in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

The Waziri Adamawa was reacting to recent remarks by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, suggesting that insecurity will not force him out of office.

The leading presidential aspirant on the platform of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), who described such a posture as both troubling and disconnected from the painful reality confronting millions of Nigerians, said leadership is not sustained by defiance, but by responsibility, compassion, and measurable action in the face of national crisis.

The former Vice President noted that while President Tinubu’s decision to seek re-election remains his constitutional right and no one begrudges him that choice, it has become evident that the administration has failed woefully in its most solemn duty—to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

“It is not political opponents who will judge this administration—it is the blood of innocent Nigerians being shed daily across our land. That blood cries out louder than any declaration of political resolve,” he said.

The former Vice President lamented that the scale of bloodshed under the present administration has reached intolerable levels, noting that over 10,000 Nigerians have been killed in violent attacks since May 2023, with some estimates placing the figure at over 18,000 lives lost within two years due to persistent insecurity across the country. He stressed that these are not mere statistics, but shattered families, destroyed communities, and a nation steadily bleeding.

Atiku described as deeply offensive the President’s attempt to dismiss the anguish of grieving families as “playing into the hands of enemies and opponents”, noting that such a characterisation trivialises the pain of thousands of bereaved Nigerians.

“It is horrifying that the memories of innocent citizens—slain due to the failure of government to provide adequate security—would be so casually reduced to political rhetoric,” he said.

He further condemned what he called the administration’s indifference to ongoing tragedies, citing the recent attack in Ilejemeje, Ekiti State, where gunmen stormed a church gathering, killing a pastor and abducting worshippers.

“It is disturbing that such a heinous incident has yet to attract the empathy or acknowledgement it deserves from the highest levels of government, while the loss of lives is instead framed as a political game.”

Atiku stressed that no one is forcing the President out of office, but that the steady decline in public confidence is a direct consequence of the administration’s performance.

“The worsening cost of living, reckless fiscal policies, and the alarming scale of insecurity under this administration are the real reasons Nigerians are losing faith. Leadership must earn trust—it cannot demand it.”

Atiku restated that the primary responsibility of government remains the protection of lives and property, urging the administration to abandon rhetoric and urgently recalibrate its security strategy.

“At a time like this, Nigerians do not need bravado; they need protection. They do not need declarations of staying power; they need proof of leadership.”

The ADC chieftain, who said that the sanctity of human life must remain the ultimate measure of governance, warned that no administration can endure indefinitely in the face of unchecked loss of innocent lives. (Nigerian Tribune)