*Who built university for him? It’s people’s money, their effort, president alleges
*You won’t regret what you have done, Tinubu tells Fubara on Wike reconciliation
*Your attack a desperate attempt to distract Nigerians from your administration’s failure, Atiku replies Tinubu
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
President Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday continued their political fireworks ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the President questioning the former Vice President’s moral standing for seeking another opportunity serve the country, accusing him of lacking moral integrity, latitude, and ethics to hold public office.
Tinubu alleged that Atiku used public resources to establish his private university.
In a swift response, Atiku described Tinubu’s allegation as a desperate attempt to distract Nigerians from his administration’s failures, saying his investment in education predates his time in public service.
The former vice president explained that in 1993, when a United States court ordered the forfeiture of funds in the president’s bank account, describing the funds as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or funds involved in unlawful financial transactions, he (Atiku) was laying the foundation for his private university.
Speaking yesterday during the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the president challenged Atiku to explain how he funded the establishment of the institution while serving as vice president.
The APC rally, held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, was organised by the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He accused the former vice president of using public resources and Nigerians’ efforts to build the university, describing him as lacking the moral integrity and ethical standards required for public office.
Tinubu said that when he took over, 27 of 36 states were unable to pay salaries, which meant a lot for the families and households that depended on them.
He stressed that since then, his administration had reversed the ugly trend, saying the country was on the move toward prosperity.
“To every salary earner, there is a dependent and somebody sharing the food at home. Those people talking of hunger are talking about the mess they created. Atiku was one of them. Ask him how he built a university while in office as Vice President in charge of our economy,” Tinubu said.
“Who built the university for him? It’s your money, it’s your effort. A man without moral integrity, latitude and ethics for the office,” Tinubu added.
The president also accused previous administrations of leaving behind billions and trillions of naira in unpaid pensions and gratuities, saying his administration was working to clear the outstanding payments.
According to Tinubu, the government was addressing the backlog to ensure retired workers received their entitlements and participated in the country’s prosperity.
“The people who governed before us left unpaid pensions and gratuities running into billions and trillions of naira. We are clearing that backlog so that every family is included and we can share in the prosperity,” he said.
He cited retired engineers, welders and teachers as beneficiaries of the payments, claiming that pensioners were receiving their entitlements on time.
Tinubu also praised Wike, describing him as a development partner of his administration.
You Won’t Regret What You Have Done, Tinubu Tells Fubara on Wike Reconciliation
Tinubu also commended Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, for demonstrating maturity, understanding and respect for the intervention by elders during the crisis, which he attributed to a misunderstanding within the political family.
“To me, I intervened on your behalf. Similarly, Fubara, Your Excellency, the host governor today, I want to thank you specifically for your maturity, understanding, and respect for the wisdom of elders.
“When we intervened, you respected our position. You maintained peace. You are a committed democrat, Fubara. You will not regret what you have done as long as all of us are alive,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu urged the youths to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the 2027 general election, saying their future would depend on the poll’s outcome.
“It is left for you to use the weapon you have. And that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. Please. I beg you. I take God to beg you,” the president said.
He added that the election was not about his personal ambition but about the future of young Nigerians, urging them to use their PVCs to determine the country’s leadership.
In his speech, Vice President Kashim Shetima said the River State was the true definition of political alliances.
The vice president berated those he called political charlatans on the other side of the divide for trying to demonise President Tinubu instead of celebrating him.
Shettima said Atiku and his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, were no match for Tinubu.
He described Obi’s performance as Governor of Anambra State for eight years and chairman of a bank as mediocre.
Addressing the rally, Governor Fubara promised President Tinubu three million votes in the state.
The governor said Rivers State had thrown its weight behind Tinubu, insisting the state had made its decision and would not turn back.
“Rivers will give you three million votes. We will stand by you. We will work for you. We will deliver for you,” Fubara added.
He also declared that the period of political divisions in the state was over, adding that leaders in the state were now united behind a common political position supporting the president.
For his part, the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, described the Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket as one of the most formidable political combinations in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Yilwatda said the Tinubu-Shettima ticket combined political experience, courage, capacity, and tested leadership, capable of steering Nigeria through its current challenges toward sustainable economic growth and national prosperity.
Also speaking, Wike stated that the people of Rivers State had resolved to vote for Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election, describing the turnout at the stadium, which he said had a seating capacity of more than 40,000, as evidence of the state’s support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
APC Targets 2.3m Votes in Rivers
Also speaking, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, said the ruling party had set a target of 2.3 million votes for Tinubu in Rivers State.
Yari noted that the state had approximately 3.3 million registered voters, out of which 2.8 million collected their PVCs.
Your Attack a Desperate Attempt to Distract Nigerians from Your Administration’s Failure, Atiku Replies Tinubu
Meanwhile, Atiku has described Tinubu’s latest attack on his investment in education as a desperate attempt to distract Nigerians from his administration’s failure.
In a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of ADC’s Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC), Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president declared that Tinubu has told Nigerians why they should not allow him to continue as president after his first tenure.
“He also chose to question my investment in education and ask how I built an educational institution while serving as vice president.
“The answer is simple: My investment in education predates my time in public service. In 1993, while a U.S. court ordered the forfeiture of funds in an account in your name, describing them as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or funds involved in unlawful financial transactions, I was laying the foundation for ABTI Academy. That Academy has since grown into the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Atiku explained.
However, information on the university website showed that AUN was founded by the former vice president, in Yola, the capital of his home state of Adamawa.
He first established a private primary and secondary school, ABTI Academy (now AUN Academy) in 2002.
AUN was licensed as ABTI University in 2003, and the ground was broken for the buildings in October 2004.
Atiku further stated, “That moment captures the difference between us. My history is traceable. I can show Nigerians how I built my name, achieved business success and entered public leadership. Your own history remains clumsy and foggy. You cannot erase it by attacking my educational record.
“A president who has plunged the country into a crushing cost-of-living crisis has no business asking Nigerians for another mandate. The real conversation about the 2027 election is how to repair the damage your government has done.
“You say Nigeria cannot return to subsidy and must move forward. But you cannot even tell Nigerians where you are taking them. Forward into deeper poverty, mounting debt, insecurity and mass unemployment?
“Since your inauguration in 2023, your leadership has become synonymous with hardship, pain and despair. Your record is a working example of how a country should not be led. You have created poverty on an industrial scale, pushing more than 79 million Nigerians into extreme poverty.
“Your campaign’s Director-General says hungry Nigerians are simply lazy. He delivered that statement in such bad grammar that it could wake the dead. This government does not even believe Nigerians are hungry. How can you solve a problem you refuse to acknowledge?
“You created poverty, then insult the people suffering from it. You attack my Affordable Life campaign, but the people you are really attacking are the millions of Nigerians desperate for relief from your failed leadership.
“Bola, Nigerians have tested your leadership. The verdict is clear: You are a disaster. In Yoruba culture, I am told, a calabash of pepper represents hostile leadership, while a calabash of honey represents hospitable leadership. Yours is a calabash of pepper.”