By Uzair Adam
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Presidency for invoking China in its response to him, describing the move as a “monumental own goal” that has only intensified scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the Presidency’s attempt to compare his record with China’s legal standards had backfired.
According to him, it was contradictory for the Presidency to celebrate what he described as a routine diplomatic response from the United States government while introducing China into the debate without considering the implications.
Shaibu argued that the Presidency’s spokesman had unintentionally subjected President Tinubu to the same standards he sought to apply to Atiku.
“It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock,” the statement read.
The statement noted that China imposes severe penalties for serious drug trafficking offences, including capital punishment, adding that Atiku had never been indicted or convicted of corruption, drug-related offences or any criminal offence in Nigeria or abroad.
It maintained that if China was to become the benchmark for public accountability, Nigerians were equally entitled to question the implications of the 1993 civil forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States government in a case involving allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering linked to Tinubu.
The former vice president further argued that China’s justice system is also known for its strict handling of corruption and abuse of public office.
According to the statement, practices such as approving a national budget allegedly tainted by padding and questionable appropriations, ignoring allegations involving senior government officials, or presiding over worsening economic hardship would not be tolerated under China’s governance standards.
Atiku said the Presidency’s argument had collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions, insisting that invoking China had only encouraged Nigerians to apply the same standards to President Tinubu.
He also faulted the Presidency for portraying the United States government’s response to diplomatic correspondence as evidence of innocence, stressing that such communication does not amount to a judicial acquittal or erase historical records.
The statement urged the Tinubu administration to focus on addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges, insecurity, rising hunger and what it described as institutional decline instead of engaging in political distractions.
Atiku also called on the Presidency to improve the quality of its public communication, arguing that while propaganda may dominate public discourse temporarily, facts would ultimately prevail.
