Former vice president’s aide defends defection, attacks ruling party’s record
The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a fierce counterattack against Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following Oshiomhole’s criticism of Atiku’s recent political defection. The former Vice President’s supporters accused Oshiomhole of attempting to distract Nigerians from the “catastrophic failures” of the ruling party.
The political spat began after Oshiomhole branded Atiku a “defection expert” in reaction to the former Vice President’s official registration with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), subsequent to his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a strongly worded statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, the camp insisted that Oshiomhole lacked the moral authority to question Atiku’s leadership credentials. Shaibu asserted that the APC Senator should “check the mirror before speaking,” implying hypocrisy in his critique.
APC accused of turning party into a private estate
Shaibu argued that Oshiomhole’s remarks were merely a “tired distraction” designed to shield the public from what he termed the “monumental failures of the APC,” a party he claimed Oshiomhole helped impose on Nigeria, driving the nation to its worst state in decades.
The statement drew a sharp contrast between the democratic operational structure of the PDP and the alleged dictatorial nature of the APC. Shaibu dismissed Oshiomhole’s suggestion that Atiku “fixed a party” into a personal empire, emphasizing that Atiku, as Vice President, was neither a national chairman nor a dictator. He stressed that the PDP was never run as a “private estate controlled from Bourdillon,” a thinly veiled reference to the political influence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Shaibu argued that Atiku operated within a democratic institution where decisions were not “tele-guided by one individual,” unlike the APC, where, according to him, “party supremacy died, dissent was criminalised, and institutions of state became partisan weapons.” He concluded that this kind of authoritarian control is the only type of “fixing” Oshiomhole understands.
Defending Atiku’s economic record and vision
The statement also defended Atiku’s national record, describing him as a leader whose achievements, particularly during his tenure as Vice President, remain unmatched. Shaibu recalled that Atiku chaired the National Economic Council, a position from which he presided over the rebuilding of investor confidence, the strengthening of the private sector, and the midwifing of reforms that fundamentally reshaped Nigeria’s economy.
The aide maintained that despite never having been President, Atiku’s development blueprint remains the most coherent Nigeria has seen in decades. This defense serves to counter the narrative that Atiku’s political mobility reflects a lack of vision or commitment to national development.
Turning the criticism back on the APC, Shaibu challenged the ruling party’s moral authority: “If the APC could not fix Nigeria after eight wasted years and nearly three years of Tinubu, what moral authority does Oshiomhole have to comment on leadership?” He starkly contrasted what he called Atiku’s “vision, experience and capacity” with the APC’s “noise, propaganda, and bruising legacy.” Shaibu concluded by asserting that Oshiomhole “represents the failure of a party that betrayed the hopes of millions” and should therefore “sit this one out,” confirming the deep ideological and political chasm between the two camps ahead of future elections.
