* Says Tinubu must priotize security over politics
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lauded the rescue of school children and teachers abducted in Orire area of Oyo State, on May 15, and called on the Federal Government to sustain onslaught against terrorists across the country.
Atiku, while describing the rescue of the school children and their teachers as a
relief for their families and millions of Nigerians, commended the courage, professionalism and sacrifice of the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies whose gallantry made the operation possible.
According to him, “the rescue of innocent schoolchildren from the hands of terrorists is a victory for our gallant troops and a source of hope for every Nigerian family. They deserve the gratitude of the nation.”
Nonetheless, the former Vice President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that while the military rose to the occasion, the Presidency failed to rise to the moment.
Atiku, who is also the African Democratic Congress ( ADC)it is striking that the abductees regained their freedom on the very day the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) its ‘Door-to-Door’ campaign for the 2027 presidential election.
“No serious government should be consumed by the politics of re-election while innocent schoolchildren have remained in the custody of kidnappers for weeks. The first campaign of any responsible administration must be the campaign to rescue its citizens, restore security and reassure anxious families. Politics can wait; the lives of innocent children cannot. Yesterday should have been dedicated to the war room, not the campaign room.
“Terrorism is unfortunately a global challenge. What distinguishes serious governments from indifferent ones is not whether attacks occur, but how political leaders respond when brave men and women in uniform deliver success against those who seek to terrorise their country,” he stated.
The ADC candidate, who noted that Nigerians expected to see President Bola and Tinubu , as Commander-in-Chief, personally addressing the nation immediately after the successful operation, stated that instead the responsibility was left to the President’s spokesman while the President allegedly remained publicly engaged in political activities.
He said “What Nigerians expected yesterday was to see a Commander-in-Chief leading from the front. Following the successful rescue operation, the President ought to have immediately addressed the nation alongside his defence chiefs—not merely to announce the good news, but to brief Nigerians on the operation, acknowledge the bravery of the troops, highlight the lessons learned, reassure families that no effort would be spared to rescue those still in captivity, and send an unmistakable message to bandits and terrorists that the Nigerian state remains resolute.
” Such moments are not ordinary press events; they are defining demonstrations of leadership that strengthen public confidence, boost military morale, and remind criminal elements that they are confronting a government that neither sleeps nor surrenders.”
“The Commander-in-Chief is more than a constitutional title; it is a moral responsibility. In moments of national triumph and national grief, Nigerians expect to see their President embody that office. Leadership is not exercised only behind closed doors; it must also be seen, heard and felt by both the citizens and those who threaten them.”
Atiku stressed that the successful rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren should not distract the nation from the painful reality that many other Nigerians—including abducted schoolchildren and innocent citizens in Borno and several other parts of the country—remain in captivity.
“One successful rescue must not become an excuse for self-congratulation. A nation cannot celebrate while other parents still go to bed not knowing whether their children are alive or dead. Our work is not done until every abducted Nigerian is safely reunited with his or her family.”
Furthermore, he added that the greatest campaign any President can undertake is not for re-election but for the safety and security of the Nigerian people.
“No political slogan, no campaign structure and no electoral calculation can ever substitute for the sacred constitutional duty of protecting the lives and liberty of Nigerians. Citizens who cannot travel safely, send their children to school without fear or sleep peacefully in their homes are not asking for campaign promises; they are asking for leadership.”
