Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Tinubu’s presidency, describing its response to the US drug forfeiture case as “shameless and reckless” and insisting that no electoral mandate can erase records that Tinubu forfeited $460,000 linked to heroin trafficking.
The gloves are fully off — and neither side is pulling punches.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media office on Thursday issued a blistering response to the Tinubu presidency’s pushback on the US narcotics forfeiture controversy, describing the presidency’s statement as “reckless and shameful” and accusing it of attempting to bury documented records under what it called “an unwieldy and hollow essay.”
As reported by Peoples Gazette, Atiku’s team took direct aim at the presidency’s claim that Tinubu’s cocaine case had been settled 30 years ago and rendered irrelevant by his electoral mandate. “This argument essentially admits that Tinubu indeed faced investigation for narcotics trafficking, but suggests that his current position as President grants him immunity, thereby wiping the records of his links to the heroin scandal clean,” the statement said.
Atiku’s team also challenged presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga directly: “If the case against their principal is truly time-barred, why are they so panicky about any attempt to revisit it? Why is President Tinubu blocking every move to unravel what is in his FBI/DOJ U.S. files?”
The statement further argued that criminal justice matters are never permanently closed. “Between 2023 and 2027, there has been a change of leadership in the United States. It is the duty of law enforcement agencies to determine whether the case can be reopened in the interest of justice.”
Atiku’s team called on Tinubu to submit to the process rather than deploying legal tactics to frustrate disclosure.
Onanuga had earlier gone on the offensive, calling Atiku corrupt and accusing him of presiding over a “privatisation heist” as vice president that sold national assets to cronies, caused job losses and left unpaid salaries and pensions — liabilities he claimed Tinubu is now clearing.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the public feud between the two political heavyweights ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
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