Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on what he described as his disastrous presidency.
He said the country is in a full-blown state of emergency and a national collapse, and “not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain.”
The former vice president stated these in a press release from the Atiku Media Office, dated 16 April, 2025 and signed by Paul Ibe.
“On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu flew out to France. Had this absurd announcement come just a day earlier, Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April Fool’s joke.
“But sadly, it’s no prank — just another insult to a nation pushed to the brink by a presidency that treats its citizens like fools,” Atiku stated.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections rhetorically asked what was the official excuse for the latest trip of President Tinubu to France.
Atiku said: “A so-called “working visit.” But Nigerians aren’t buying the spin. The presidency scrambled to clarify that it wasn’t a medical trip — how noble.
“But even if it’s not medical tourism, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds?
“What kind of leader borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad? It’s not just irresponsible—it’s contemptuous.”
Atiku reeled out the number of times Tinubu has traveled to France since he became the president on 29 May, 2023.
“Let the facts speak for themselves. By the time Tinubu struts back from this latest escapade, he will have racked up a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office. “See Paris and die?” No—see Paris and abandon your country,” declared.
Atiku said, while Tinubu was “dining under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he is governing is spiraling into chaos.”
He further said: “Plateau has turned into a killing field —over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding.
“Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair.
“This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale.
“If Tinubu had even a shred of empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with an ounce of patriotism wouldn’t need to be begged to show up in times of crisis.
“The constitution says the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. But under Tinubu, that sacred duty has been trashed.
“Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon.
“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse.”
Atiku further asked: “So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency?”
