Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his decision to spend three weeks in Europe, accusing him of abandoning Nigerians amid worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
Atiku made the criticism in a statement posted on his official X account on Sunday, August 30, 2026, declaring that while Nigeria may not be experiencing a constitutional vacuum, the country is facing what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
The former vice president said the President’s absence was coming at a critical time when Nigerians were struggling with high petrol prices, rising food costs, unaffordable transportation and persistent insecurity.
“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Atiku said.
He added: “Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week. And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe.”
Atiku argued that Tinubu’s decision was even more difficult to understand because Vice President Kashim Shettima was also outside the country on official duty.
“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand,” he said.
According to Atiku, occupying the presidency comes with the responsibility to recognise moments when the country requires the direct presence and leadership of its President.
“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” he said.
The former vice president illustrated his criticism with the analogy of a father whose house was on fire, arguing that such a person would not leave his family behind to travel.
“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” Atiku said.
He stressed that his objection was not to presidential travel itself, but to what he described as the timing of Tinubu’s trip amid the difficulties facing Nigerians.
“That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher,” he said.
Atiku further accused the administration of being disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians, warning that a government that fails to appreciate the consequences of its policies would struggle to address them.
“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving,” he said.
He added: “A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it.”
Atiku concluded with a direct political promise, saying he would reverse what he described as the high cost of living created under the Tinubu administration.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again,” he declared.
