Atiku Abubakar and Festus Keyamo Clash Over Tinubu's Governance

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar condemned President Bola Tinubu's governance and the inauguration of a revised Presidential Campaign Council at Aso Rock Villa. Abubakar described the council's size as a confession of fear and characterized the use of the Presidential Villa for a political event as a breach of public trust. He cited the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, which indicates an increase of 17.9 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, to argue that the electorate will reject a mandate of hardship in the January 16 election.

In response, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo accused Abubakar of hypocrisy. Keyamo pointed to the 2004 liquidation of Nigeria Airways during the Obasanjo-Atiku administration, which left thousands of employees without pensions for over two decades. He noted that President Tinubu recently approved N36 billion to settle these outstanding liabilities, asserting that the current administration is clearing the failures left behind by the government in which Abubakar served.