By Desire Emmanuel
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, November 267, took the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the cleaners over its remarks about him joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Atiku , through his media office, said rather than the Lagos APC to make snide remarks about him joining the ADC, the party should worry about the age of President Bola Tinubu which he puts at “over 90 years old” as well as his identity and what he described as “fading capacity.”
The media office issued a statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, said despite his age, Tinubu has insisted on clinging to power and is already scheming for a second term.
Text of the response by the Atiku Media Office to the APC: “The attention of the Atiku Media Office has been drawn to yet another hollow, ill-considered statement issued by the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), wherein its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, attempted to mock former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC). As usual, the Lagos APC displayed its trademark hypocrisy, selective amnesia and intellectual laziness.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar’s political journey is public, transparent and fully documented. His age is known, his parents are known, his educational records are intact, and his public life can be traced from childhood to national prominence without the need for forensic experts, private investigators, or sworn affidavits to reconcile conflicting identities.
“This already places him miles ahead of their paymaster who — by all reasonable public evidence — is well past 90, yet insists on clinging to power and is already scheming for a second term. If Atiku, a far healthier, mentally sharper, and globally respected statesman, is “too old” to aspire at 79, then what do we call a visibly frail leader whose true age remains one of the country’s best-kept mysteries?
“The APC cannot, on one hand, enable a man who has switched names, ages, origins, and educational histories, yet on the other hand attack Atiku for making strategic political moves within a democratic system. Party mobility is not a crime; identity fraud is.
“Atiku’s decision to collaborate with the ADC is driven by conviction, nation-building, and a shared democratic vision — not desperation. Only those accustomed to treating political parties as private estates will find such collaboration confusing.
“The Lagos APC should stop pretending to be concerned about Nigeria’s future. Their real fear is simple and understandable: Atiku Abubakar remains the single most formidable, experienced, and prepared leader in the country today. His moral stamina, political clarity and national acceptance continue to expose the emptiness of the APC’s propaganda and the illegitimacy of the regime they serve.
“If the APC is looking for a man defined by “restlessness, panic, and desperation,” they need not look far. He is in the Villa — struggling to govern, struggling to appear coherent and struggling to convince Nigerians that he is the age he claims to be.
“Rather than issuing unintelligent statements, the Lagos APC should direct its energy towards explaining the collapsing economy, the insecurity consuming the country, the hardship imposed on citizens and the human suffering that has become the lasting legacy of their party.
“Atiku Abubakar’s political relevance is not in question. The competence and credibility of their paymaster is.”
