Address Nnamdi Kanu’s Grievances, Release El-Rufai, Sheikh Zaria — Atiku Tells Tinubu

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the grievances surrounding the case of convicted separatist leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and provide answers over the continued detention of Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria and Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

Atiku made the demand on Thursday in Abuja in his Independence Day address, in which he criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of the economy, security, public finances and rule of law.

“On this day, I call for the rule of law to be applied fairly in every case. The continued detention of Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria and Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai raises questions about due process that the authorities must answer,” he said.

On Kanu, Atiku said his legal rights should be protected following his conviction.

“Following Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction, his right to lawful appeal must be respected, while the grievances and divisions surrounding his case must be addressed seriously,” he said.

The former vice president also renewed his call for the release of five young Nigerians arrested in Borno after wearing T-shirts bearing the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.”

“A political slogan on a shirt must never become a reason to imprison a Nigerian,” Atiku said.

Marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary, the ADC candidate said the country had moved far from the vision of its founders, arguing that the past three years under Tinubu had intensified economic hardship.

“The past three years under Bola Tinubu have plunged Nigeria into the most severe cost of living crisis in our history. Families are not merely tightening their belts. They are skipping meals, delaying treatment and borrowing to survive until payday,” he said.

Atiku accused Tinubu of relying on promises rather than his administration’s record, particularly following the President’s declaration that the period of “emergency treatment is over” and that Nigeria had entered an “age of prosperity.”

“A president may announce a new chapter in a speech. He cannot put food onto a family’s table or money into a worker’s pocket,” Atiku said.

He also criticised the extension of the 2025 budget until the end of 2026, questioning the government’s management of its budgetary commitments.

“You have just signed an extension keeping the 2025 budget in operation until the last day of 2026. The 2026 budget exists alongside it. Soon, your government will ask Nigerians to examine a 2027 budget,” he said.

“How many budgets must be open at once before you can tell the country what was funded, what was completed and what remains unpaid? A budget should be a timetable for delivery, not a ball passed from one year to the next.”

Atiku further demanded an account of cash transfers reportedly made to Nigerians under the Federal Government’s social intervention programme.

He referred to a claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, that more than 10 million Nigerians had received ₦75,000 each, amounting to at least ₦750 billion.

“Professor Yilwatda says many beneficiaries have no phones. So how did your government identify, contact and pay them, particularly in parts of Yobe and Borno where insecurity makes access difficult? Did officials deliver the money by hand? If so, who delivered it, and where are the receipts?” Atiku asked.

“If it went into bank accounts, show the transaction records. If you could find ten million people to pay, you can account for the payments.”

On the cost of living, Atiku cited changes in the purchasing power of the minimum wage and the prices of basic commodities.

“In April 2023, a ₦30,000 minimum wage could buy about 118 litres of petrol. Today, a ₦70,000 minimum wage buys just 50 litres. The salary has more than doubled on paper; the petrol it can buy has fallen by more than half,” he said.

He added that the average price of an egg increased from about ₦88 in April 2023 to ₦261 in May 2026, while a sliced loaf that cost about ₦500 in April 2023 averaged about ₦2,000 for a smaller loaf by May 2026.

“If 2023 was the illness, why does your ‘cure’ buy less fuel, fewer eggs and a smaller loaf of bread?” he asked.

Atiku also criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying the policy was implemented without adequate protection for households affected by the resulting economic shock.

He said that, if elected, he would introduce “a capped, budgeted production subsidy tied to verified fuel refined in Nigeria, including fuel from modular refineries.”

“Imported petrol will not qualify. The benefit must reach consumers through lower pump prices. We will publish the costs, independently audit the payments and cut government waste to help fund the programme,” he said.

He also challenged the President over his earlier promise to reduce transport fares from October 1.

“Before I forget, you promised Nigerians lower transport fares from October 1. Today is October 1. Did your promise miss the bus?” Atiku asked.

On Nigeria’s public debt, Atiku said the country’s obligations stood at ₦166.79 trillion at the end of June and questioned the government’s plans to seek an additional $1.5 billion in World Bank loans.

“Before you borrow another dollar in the people’s name, tell them what the money already borrowed has delivered,” he said.

Atiku also questioned the award of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway contract to Hitech, a Chagoury Group company, alleging that the project was awarded without an open public tender.

“Your government says it used restricted bidding. Then publish the invitations, the bids, the evaluations, the final contract and every variation. Let Nigerians see how this enormous award was decided,” he said.

The ADC candidate further alleged that local contractors who had completed government projects remained unpaid, while military pensioners and federal workers had complained about unpaid entitlements and delayed salaries.

“Pay the outstanding entitlements, publish what remains unpaid, and stop claiming that everyone has been paid in full,” he said.

Turning to security, Atiku said the government had a responsibility to address both economic hardship and insecurity.

“A government that cannot make life affordable and cannot protect life has failed the two tests that matter most to its people,” he said.

He also recalled the deaths of three people in a stampede at the Niger State Government House, where a crowd had gathered amid reports that ₦10,000 would be distributed, and renewed his call for “a full account of how that gathering was organised.”

Looking ahead to the 2027 election, Atiku pledged to respect the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), support the prompt publication of results from every polling unit and ensure that those found guilty of vote-buying or altering results face the law, regardless of their political affiliation.

He said INEC would be allowed to operate independently if he is elected.

“Your vote must count as you cast it. You should not need powerful friends to make it count. We have chosen a different course, peacefully and together, through the power of our votes; the message is clear: Tinubu must go,” he declared.