Tinubu Has Failed on Security, Says Atiku

Olawpo-Hashm: We’re Back to Abacha Era

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, says President Bola Tinubu has failed woefully on security.

Atiku called on the federal government to expedite action on the safe release of school children abducted in Oyo and Borno states.

Presidential hopeful, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, also alleged that Nigeria was gradually sliding back into the “dark days” of the late General Sani Abacha. Olawepo-Hashim accused powerful political forces of attempting to cripple opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

No less than 42 schoolchildren were kidnapped on May 15 in terrorists’ raids on Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Secondary School in Mussa town, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

On the same day, over 40 students and teachers were abducted from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state.

A mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded in a gruesome manner.

Atiku, in a statement yesterday, expressed concern over the worsening insecurity in the country, stressing that it poses a direct threat to the education system and makes a mockery of the so-called Safe Schools initiative.

Atiku said he was embarrassment at the frequency with which terrorists were threatening citizens with impunity without an appropriate response by the government.

While stating that the primary responsibility of any government was the security and welfare for the governed, Atiku urged Tinubu to step down from office in the interest of Nigerians.

He stated, “President Tinubu has no moral or political latitude to stay in Aso Villa a day longer if tens of hundreds of abducted citizens languish in captivity across the country.

“What type of government will allow non-state actors to turn its national territory into killing fields and a haven for kidnapping and extortion?”

The Waziri of Adamawa said security should not be treated as a political slogan and citizens could only be impressed by prompt and effective response to security challenges.

He said if you the terrorists’ abductions were allowed to linger, they would create incentives for future attacks on schools by criminal elements.

Atiku said, “Impunity makes the terrorists bolder and more determined to carry out future attacks. The citizens look up to the government for urgent and prompt interventions to banditry and terrorist attacks.

“The government must project confidence in the minds of the citizens that it is capable of protecting them at all times.”

Atiku said official condemnations of terrorist abductions was not enough, if it was not followed up with prompt rescue action.

He regretted the delay in the country’s criminal justice system, which terrorism trials to drag on endlessly.

Atiku stated, “We urgently need special courts to speed up the trial of terrorists and bandits in the country. In addition, the death penalty must be applied to terrorism offences in the country.

“But the death penalty itself cannot be effective if the government lacks the political will to promptly sign the death warrants for convicted terrorists.”

Gbenga Hashim: Nigeria Sliding Back to the Sani Abacha Era, But We Will Defeat Them

Presidential candidate of Accord Party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, alleged that Nigeria was gradually sliding back into the “dark days” of Abacha.

He accused powerful political forces of attempting to cripple opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a statement issued ahead of the Accord Party presidential primary scheduled for May 30, Olawepo-Hashim stated that there were deliberate efforts by influential figures to weaken opposition platforms and prevent the emergence of credible challengers to the ruling establishment.

“Nigeria is being dragged back to the Abacha years,” he declared.

Olawepo-Hashim accused a top chieftain of Accord Party of allegedly orchestrating internal manoeuvres aimed at destabilising the party and frustrating its ability to field a presidential candidate.

According to him, the development bear similarities to the political climate during the Abacha era, when all registered political parties were aligned behind a single power structure.

“We are seeing a replay of history, when political parties became tools for a self-succession agenda,” he said.

He also linked the alleged plot to powerful figures within the administration of President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the attempt to dominate the political space would ultimately fail.

“This coordinated plot by top officials will fail, just as the Abacha agenda failed,” Olawepo-Hashim stated, accusing the political establishment of systematically weakening opposition parties through manipulative legal and political strategies.