Listen to Nnamdi Kanu, release El-Rufai, Sheikh Zaria — Atiku Tells Tinubu

Atiku made the call on Thursday in Abuja in his Independence Day address to Nigerians, in which he criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of the economy, security, public finances and rule of law.

“On this day, I call for the rule of law to be applied fairly in every case. The continued detention of Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria and Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai raises questions about due process that the authorities must answer,” he said.

On Kanu, Atiku said his legal rights should be respected following his conviction.

“Following Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction, his right to lawful appeal must be respected, while the grievances and divisions surrounding his case must be addressed seriously,” he said.

Atiku also renewed his call for the release of five men arrested in Maiduguri over allegations linked to T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go”.

“A political slogan on a shirt must never become a reason to imprison a Nigerian,” he said.

The Borno State Police Command, however, has said the men were not arrested simply for wearing the T-shirts, but were being prosecuted over allegations including inciting public disturbance, breach of public peace and thuggery.

Atiku Faults Tinubu’s Economic Policies

Marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of worsening the country’s cost-of-living crisis over the past three years.

“The past three years under Bola Tinubu have plunged Nigeria into the most severe cost of living crisis in our history. Families are not merely tightening their belts. They are skipping meals, delaying treatment and borrowing to survive until payday,” he said.

He also criticised the President’s recent declaration that the period of “emergency treatment is over” and that Nigeria had entered an “age of prosperity”.

“A president may announce a new chapter in a speech. He cannot put food onto a family’s table or money into a worker’s pocket,” Atiku said.

Tinubu, in his own Independence Day address, defended his administration’s reforms and said Nigeria had moved beyond the initial phase of economic correction towards an era of broader prosperity.

Questions 2025 Budget Extension

Atiku also questioned the Federal Government’s decision to extend the implementation of the 2025 budget into 2026.

“You have just signed an extension keeping the 2025 budget in operation until the last day of 2026. The 2026 budget exists alongside it. Soon, your government will ask Nigerians to examine a 2027 budget,” he said.

“How many budgets must be open at once before you can tell the country what was funded, what was completed and what remains unpaid? A budget should be a timetable for delivery, not a ball passed from one year to the next.”

Demands Account of Cash Transfers

The ADC candidate also demanded greater transparency over the Federal Government’s social intervention programme, particularly claims that more than 10 million Nigerians had received ₦75,000 each.

He referred to comments attributed to APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda concerning beneficiaries who allegedly did not have access to mobile phones.

“Professor Yilwatda says many beneficiaries have no phones. So how did your government identify, contact and pay them, particularly in parts of Yobe and Borno where insecurity makes access difficult? Did officials deliver the money by hand? If so, who delivered it, and where are the receipts?” Atiku asked.

“If it went into bank accounts, show the transaction records. If you could find ten million people to pay, you can account for the payments.”

Minimum Wage and Cost of Living

Atiku also compared the purchasing power of the current minimum wage with that of the previous wage regime, using petrol and food prices to illustrate what he described as the erosion of workers’ purchasing power.

“In April 2023, a ₦30,000 minimum wage could buy about 118 litres of petrol. Today, a ₦70,000 minimum wage buys just 50 litres. The salary has more than doubled on paper; the petrol it can buy has fallen by more than half,” he said.

He also cited increases in the prices of eggs and bread, asking:

“If 2023 was the illness, why does your ‘cure’ buy less fuel, fewer eggs and a smaller loaf of bread?”

Atiku again criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy was implemented without adequate protection for households affected by the resulting economic pressures.

He said an ADC administration would introduce “a capped, budgeted production subsidy tied to verified fuel refined in Nigeria, including fuel from modular refineries.”

“Imported petrol will not qualify. The benefit must reach consumers through lower pump prices. We will publish the costs, independently audit the payments and cut government waste to help fund the programme,” he said.

Challenges Tinubu Over Transport Fare Promise

Atiku also questioned the President over his earlier promise to reduce transport fares from October 1.

“Before I forget, you promised Nigerians lower transport fares from October 1. Today is October 1. Did your promise miss the bus?” he asked.

Atiku Questions Fresh World Bank Borrowing

The former vice president also raised concerns over Nigeria’s public debt, which stood at ₦166.79 trillion as of June 30, 2026, according to the Debt Management Office.

He questioned the Federal Government’s discussions with the World Bank over three proposed financing facilities totalling $1.5 billion.

The proposed facilities comprise $500 million each for climate resilience, social protection and early childhood development. The financing was still at the proposal stage at the time of the reports, rather than an already approved $1.5 billion loan.

“Before you borrow another dollar in the people’s name, tell them what the money already borrowed has delivered,” Atiku said.

Questions Lagos-Calabar Highway Contract

Atiku also questioned the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract to Hitech, a company associated with the Chagoury Group.

He alleged that the project was awarded without an open public tender and called on the government to publish details of the procurement process.

“Your government says it used restricted bidding. Then publish the invitations, the bids, the evaluations, the final contract and every variation. Let Nigerians see how this enormous award was decided,” he said.

Raises Unpaid Entitlements

The ADC candidate further alleged that some local contractors remained unpaid after completing government projects, while military pensioners and federal workers had also complained about outstanding entitlements and delayed payments.

“Pay the outstanding entitlements, publish what remains unpaid, and stop claiming that everyone has been paid in full,” he said.

On security, Atiku said the government had a responsibility to address both economic hardship and insecurity.

“A government that cannot make life affordable and cannot protect life has failed the two tests that matter most to its people,” he said.

He also recalled the deaths of three people in a stampede at the Niger State Government House, where a crowd had gathered amid reports of a proposed ₦10,000 distribution, and called for an account of how the gathering was organised.

Atiku Pledges Electoral Reforms

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Atiku pledged to respect the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if elected.

He promised to support the prompt publication of results from polling units and said anyone found guilty of vote-buying or manipulating election results should face the law regardless of political affiliation.

“Your vote must count as you cast it. You should not need powerful friends to make it count. We have chosen a different course, peacefully and together, through the power of our votes; the message is clear: Tinubu must go,” he declared.

Atiku’s address comes as the 2027 election season begins to take shape, with the ADC candidate increasingly positioning his campaign around economic hardship, accountability, security, rule of law and electoral reform.

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