Atiku’s comments on Tinubu’s Plateau visit ‘politically motivated’ — APC

The All Progressives Congress in Plateau State has dismissed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Jos, stating that the ex-VP “lacks the locus standi to complain on behalf of the people of the State.”

In a statement signed on Monday by its acting publicity secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, Plateau APC said Atiku’s attack was politically motivated and “uninformed.”

earlier report that Tinubu over the weekend attended the funeral service for Mama Lydia held at the Church of Christ in Nations headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

During the service, the President delivered a speech calling for unity, peace, and tolerance, and urged residents to “shun religious and ethnic differences” and to coexist in harmony.

Reacting in a Saturday statement, Atiku condemned Tinubu’s decision to visit Plateau— one of the areas hardest hit by violent attacks as “a sad reflection of priorities and a mockery of leadership.”

He alleged the president’s decision to attend the event “under the auspices of his party’s national chairman” showed a lack of empathy and compassion.

The ex-VP argued that Tinubu should have visited to commiserate with victims of the persistent killings and displacement across the region.

But Plateau APC argued that Atiku’s censure ignored the role of state governors in maintaining security and the support the President has given to local security efforts.

The party said Atiku’s comments were tantamount to making “political capital” out of tragedy.

It said, “By all standards and definitions, Alhaji Atiku belongs to the class of the nation’s statesmen, in addition to the fact that he possesses the qualities of an infamous opposition leader in Nigeria’s political landscape.

“From the content of his statement and disposition, in the context of insurgency on the Plateau, it would not be out of place to say that Alhaji Atiku spoke in bad faith and also from an uninformed position.”

The party defended Tinubu, stating, “Undoubtedly, Asiwaju is the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and on whose shoulders the security of the citizens of the country rests, notwithstanding the fact that the state governors, too, owe the people the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property in their respective jurisdictions.

“In crisis situations, the President usually gives marching orders to the security agencies to, at all costs, restore peace and order, in addition to providing logistics support to effectively carry out their mandates.”

It noted that Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s public acknowledgement of federal support for security operations in Plateau, and the warm reception Tinubu received in Jos, showed local appreciation for the president’s interventions.

While the APC conceded that dialogue on methods to defeat insecurity was legitimate, it insisted that Atiku’s broad criticism of a presidential condolence visit was misplaced.

“If Governor Mutfwang, the Chief Security of the State, could in all honesty publicly give the President a pat on the back, it stands to reason that Alhaji Atiku lacks the locus standi to complain on behalf of the people of the State,” the party said.

The Plateau APC urged critics to focus less on ceremonial visits and more on practical demands.

“What is of utmost importance and interest to the people of Plateau State is the need to provide more military assets as well as boots on the ground, to tackle the insurgents head-on, rather than ceremonial visits,” Plateau APC added.

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