By Bassey Asuquo
The Democratic Front (TDF) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of unstatesmanly act in his recent reaction to the successful rescue is kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oyo State.
The group argued that the former vice president deliberately refused to acknowledge the definitive role of President Bola Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief
in the successful rescue of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped by terrorists in Oyo State.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary Wale Adedayo, the group alleged that the former vice president was deliberately evasive and dismissive of President Tinubu’s central role in resolving the hostage crisis, describing his act as mean, cheap and unstatesmanly thereby making a mockery of himself as an elder statesman ant the highly successful rescue mission.
‘It is embarrassing that a man who once occupied the high office of Nigeria’s Vice President, would play such cheap politics by outrightly refusing to acknowledge the unique role of the President in his commendation of the successful security operations that led to the rescue of the kidnapped victims.
“We have observed that the former Vice President stylishly danced around issues in his press statement, to avoid commending President Bola Tinubu who, in actual sense, as the incumbent Commander-in-Chief deployed the needed leadership, political will and the necessary state resources, intelligence and manpower that led to the landmark operation.
“His failure to give due credit of the successful operation to President Tinubu, shows his hollowness and the despicable length which the former Vice President can go in pursuing selfish political ambition.
“We are equally convinced beyond reasonable doubt, that the former Vice President was not sincere about the lives and well-being of the victims of Oyo kidnapping, when he criticized the President in his statement of 4th June 2026. Atiku simply played politics with the lives of the abducted pupils and teachers of the Oriire school.
“It is our view that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga was right on point when he called out the former Vice President for failure to congratulate President Tinubu, in the manner he castigated him in the wake of the kidnap of 44 pupils and teachers in Oriire Oyo State.
“We recall that the President treated the Oriire kidnapping with utmost urgency and precision, same way he responded to the kidnapping of school children in Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states in November 2025.”
TDF also recalled previous roles played by the President in resolving hostage situations involving school children.
“It is on record that the President postponed his trip to attend the G 20 Summit in South Africa and Angola, so that he could personally oversee the coordination of security operations to rescue the children.
“It amounts to undue envy, inelegance and selfishness on the part of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to undermine President Tinubu’s role as the Commander-in-Chief, who championed the collective efforts that led to the eventual rescue operations.
“We laud the President for the massive deployment of national security apparatus, as evident in the sweeping order to the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser and the Minister of Defence.
“The successful rescue of victims wouldn’t have been possible without the President’s strategic action on the matter so for us, Atiku Abubakar’s attempt to undermine the President in his half-hearted press statement was an irresponsible act which should be condemned by every well- meaning citizen,” it added.