The Democratic Front (TDF) has likened the stance of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the FCT councillors’ elections to a student looking for an excuse for his failure in an all-important examination.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Mallam Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, TDF argued that rather than looking for excuses, they should look towards President Bola Tinubu’s policies as the cause of his party’s poor performance.
It said, “Our attention has been drawn to certain comments credited to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, insinuating that Nigeria’s democracy is under siege, as a result of what he described as the poor turnout of voters during the recent Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections.
“It is important to recall that before the FCT election, Atiku and his cohorts in the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) had bragged to make the exercise a testing ground for President Bola Tinubu’s electoral defeat ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“It is also common knowledge that the former Vice President, Mr Peter Obi and Mr Rotimi Amaechi physically visited some parts of the Federal Capital Territory, to canvass for votes for ADC candidates in the election.
“However, the outcome of the electoral exercise was demystifying, and politically humiliating for the former Vice President and the other bigwigs in his party, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) won five out of the six area councils, leaving one for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“Rather than keep a low profile to lick his wounds quietly, the former Vice President has resorted to fabricating tales to obscure his party’s humiliating defeat at the FCT polls.
“In our opinion, ADC’s dismal showing in that election, despite Atiku and Peter Obi’s presence and participation in the campaigns, is a reflection of growing public disapproval of the former Vice President and his colleagues in the ADC.
“It is an indication that leaders of the opposition in the ADC, led by Atiku Abubakar, do not possess the requisite character that can elicit public confidence and votes from the Nigerian electorate.
“To the contrary, APC’s massive victory simply confirms the positive impact of President Tinubu’s policies, and interventions at the grassroots.
“His novel policies and programmes like NELFUND, Food Security and Renewed Hope Housing Programme, for instance, are beginning to impact positively on Nigerians at the local levels.”
The group argued that Nigerians have seen through the antics of the ADC, hence they were rejected at the polls in the FCT.
“We must admit that ADC’s humiliating defeat in the FCT election did not come to us as a surprise.
“This is because former Vice President and his colleagues in the opposition have not been able to show Nigerians how they intend to handle the country’s economy and security differently from what President Tinubu is doing.
“Nigerians have seen a reduction in headline inflation, as well as improved allocations to sub-nationals from the federation account, and the implementation of legacy projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto – Badagry super Highway as part of his achievements.
“The remarkable inflow of foreign capital into the economy, alongside a consistent rise in the nation’s foreign reserve, occasioned by the quantum leap in the GDP, has booked a place for the President in the hearts of Nigerians.
“TDF outrightly disagrees with Atiku Abubakar’s demonisation of Nigeria’s democracy. If anything, the voters in the FCT election have demonstrated maturity in distinguishing between Tinubu’s purposeful leadership and Atiku’s politics of soundbites, by voting massively for APC candidates,” it added.
