Former Vice President of Nigeria and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has described the Presidency’s attempt to invoke China in its latest attack on him as a “monumental own goal,” arguing that the comparison has only exposed President Bola Tinubu to greater public scrutiny.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said it was ironic that while the Presidency had been presenting the United States Government’s routine response to diplomatic correspondence as though it were “a love letter, a trophy and a certificate of innocence rolled into one,” its spokesman had carelessly introduced China into the debate.”It takes a peculiar kind of unintelligence for a spokesman to set out to drag an opponent before a hypothetical Chinese court, only to end up dragging his own principal into the dock.
“Perhaps the spokesman did not realise that the maximum penalty under Chinese law for the most serious drug trafficking offences is death. Having chosen China as his benchmark, he unwittingly invited Nigerians to examine the very standard he thought would embarrass Atiku Abubakar.”

Atiku maintained that he has never been indicted or convicted by any court in Nigeria or elsewhere for corruption, narcotics offences or any other criminal offence.
“The facts are neither complicated nor disputable. Atiku Abubakar has never been indicted or convicted by any court in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world for corruption, narcotics offences or, indeed, any criminal offence whatsoever. That is an incontrovertible matter of public record.”

He argued that if the Presidency insists on using China as the benchmark for public accountability, Nigerians are equally entitled to ask how Chinese authorities would have treated “a case involving $460,000 forfeited to the United States Government in a civil forfeiture proceeding concerning funds alleged to be connected to narcotics trafficking and money laundering.”

According to Atiku, China is globally known for its strict stance on narcotics-related offences and public accountability.
“China is renowned for its uncompromising approach to narcotics-related offences and public accountability. It is not a jurisdiction where the forfeiture of suspicious proceeds ordinarily marks the end of official scrutiny. More often than not, that is where scrutiny begins.”

The former Vice President also argued that the Tinubu administration should familiarise itself with what he described as China’s tough approach to corruption, abuse of office and the misappropriation of public resources.

“Not in China would a President sign into law a national budget immersed in scandals, padding and duplicative appropriations. Not in China would a President look the other way while a senior presidential aide faces grave allegations of creating a fake government agency. Not in China would a government campaign on Renewed Hope only to deliver renewed hardship to its citizens.”

He further described the Presidency’s argument as self-defeating.

“By invoking China, its spokesman has unwittingly invited Nigerians to apply the very standard he thought would embarrass Atiku Abubakar.”

Atiku also advised President Tinubu to reflect on whether his spokesman had served his interests.

“A media adviser is employed to protect his principal from political landmines, not to march him straight into one.”

He dismissed the Presidency’s reliance on the United States Government’s diplomatic correspondence, arguing that such communication should not be interpreted as a judicial verdict.

“The Presidency should also stop brandishing the United States Government’s reply to its diplomatic correspondence as though it were a judicial acquittal. Diplomatic correspondence between sovereign governments is routine. It is neither a judgment of a court, nor a declaration of innocence, nor an instrument for rewriting history.”

Atiku concluded that governments should not apply standards selectively.
“The lesson here is simple. Those who invoke China must be prepared to accept the Chinese standard—not selectively, not rhetorically, but completely. Accountability is not a buffet from which governments choose only the dishes they find palatable.”

He urged the Tinubu administration to focus on addressing economic hardship, hunger, insecurity and institutional challenges rather than engaging in political distractions.
Atiku also called on the Presidency to elevate the quality of its public communication, insisting that while propaganda may dominate the news cycle temporarily, facts ultimately prevail.