Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar told the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress to stop criticising his political choices and to focus on the true identity and age of its own leaders.
Atiku said the Lagos APC was being hypocritical and unfair when it mocked his move to join the African Democratic Congress. He spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and said his political standing is clear and not in doubt.
He also made a strong public statement that addressed the Lagos APC directly. He said, and I quote in full:
“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.”
Atiku urged the Lagos APC to stop pretending to be worried about Nigeria’s future. He said the real problem is clear and simple.
He also warned that if the APC seeks a leader who shows “restlessness, panic, and desperation,” they need not look far. He went on to say in full:
“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 toward 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,” he added.
Atiku closed by saying he remains a strong and ready leader, and that the APC’s attacks only show how weak their arguments are. He told the Lagos APC to focus on real problems like the economy, security, and the needs of ordinary people.
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