Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, criticized President Bola Tinubu for the ongoing kidnapping incidents in the country.
The former Vice President expressed concern over the insecurity in Nigeria, referring to President Tinubu as a “tourist-in-chief” who traveled to France for a private visit while the nation grapples with security challenges.
In a tweet on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Atiku questioned the president’s decision to leave the country when kidnappers killed a nursing mother and grandmother in Abuja over a ₦90m ransom and the abduction of two monarchs in Ekiti by suspected herdsmen on Monday, January 29, 2024.
He advised President Tinubu to step aside if the responsibilities were too overwhelming, emphasizing the need for a leader available 24/7 to address the country’s “pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy.”
“Tinubu is playing the fiddle while Nigeria is drowning in the ocean of insecurity. To imagine that the Commander-in-Chief is on a so-called private visit while kidnappers kill a nursing mother and grandmother in Abuja for failing to pay ₦90m ransom and two monarchs in Ekiti, among other regular tragedies besetting Nigerians.
“If the shoes are too big for Emilokan, he should step aside. Nigeria does not need another Tourist-in-Chief. The country needs 24/7 leadership to confront the pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy,” his tweet read.
President Tinubu left the country for Paris on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, with no provided details about his trip to the French capital.
