“Tinubu fears the coalition” -Atiku
When a president abandons the burdens of governance for political shadowboxing, it signals more than just arrogance — it reveals a deep crisis of competence. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is right to say President Bola Tinubu is “overwhelmed” and is attacking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition to mask his administration’s failures.
At a time when Nigerians are suffocating under spiralling inflation, worsening insecurity, and a collapsing naira, Tinubu chose to mock opposition parties instead of offering hope or solutions. “It is not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” he jeered at the APC NEC meeting — a statement that reeks more of fear than confidence.
Rather than focusing on fixing the “troubled government and broken economy” he inherited and worsened, Tinubu appears fixated on dismantling the only thing that could hold him accountable: a united opposition. Atiku’s allegation that “Tinubu and his allies have been sponsoring crises within opposition parties… to weaken alternative political voices” is not far-fetched — it’s consistent with the pattern of political strongmen who know they’ve lost the room.
Even more troubling is the reported use of public institutions for political persecution. If, as Atiku says, “state institutions… especially anti-corruption agencies” are being used to coerce defections to the APC, then Tinubu isn’t building a party — he’s building a one-party state.
A president secure in his mandate doesn’t need to mock coalitions or meddle in opposition politics. He governs. Tinubu, more than halfway through his term, has very little to show — and he knows it. As Atiku put it, “Tinubu fears the coalition. He knows it is the coalition that will send him packing.
