Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, met with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., in Abuja, where he restated his concerns over tribalism and insecurity in the country.
Atiku, who shared photos of the meeting on his official Facebook page, said the discussions with the envoy focused on strengthening Nigeria-U.S. ties, with emphasis on democracy, security, and shared prosperity.
He described tribalism as a “malignant disease” holding Nigeria back, accusing sections of the elite of exploiting ethnic divisions for selfish political ends.
According to him, “The elite are most culpable in using tribalism as a divisive gimmick to set one ethnic group against the other. They urge their tribesmen not to vote for a candidate simply because he comes from another region, rather than judge him by competence and capacity. I implore Nigerians to reject such backward politics.”
The 2027 presidential hopeful under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) urged voters to look beyond ethnicity in choosing leaders. “Vote according to your conscience and never allow anyone to deceive you into rejecting a candidate just because he is Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba,” he added.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) swiftly pushed back against the former VP’s position, describing his recent comments on hunger and insecurity as “reckless” and “self-serving.”
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement, argued that Atiku’s criticism of the Tinubu administration was a veiled attempt to incite unrest in the country.
“His statement is irresponsible and unbefitting of a former Vice President. For 16 years, the PDP government, in which Atiku played a central role, failed to address hunger, poverty and insecurity despite unprecedented oil revenues,” Morka said.
He further alleged that Atiku spends most of his time outside the country and would not share in the consequences of the “destructive rhetoric” he peddles.
Morka urged Nigerians to remain steadfast with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which he said is working to build “a nation of our collective dream.”
