Tinubu’s Presidency Accused of ‘Hiding Behind Buhari’s Coffin’

DDM News

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has come under heavy criticism from Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communications to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, over recent comments directed at former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Shaibu accused Tinubu’s media team of deliberately targeting Buhari’s legacy as a tactic to distract Nigerians from the present administration’s failures in governance.

In a scathing statement released to the press, Shaibu mocked the presidency’s communication strategy, alleging it has descended to blaming a deceased leader due to its inability to tackle pressing national issues.

“Bayo Onanuga, this is how low the Tinubu presidency has sunk, fighting ghosts because it can’t face Nigerians,” Shaibu said.

He continued, “Blaming a dead man, because the living one in Aso Rock is clueless.”

Shaibu’s remarks follow several veiled jabs at Buhari’s administration by Tinubu’s aides, particularly Bayo Onanuga, a senior member of the president’s media team, who has recently criticized aspects of Buhari’s legacy.

Shaibu argued that if Buhari was as irrelevant as the current administration claims, then there would be no need to dredge up his past performance.

“If Buhari was so irrelevant, why is your presidency still trembling at his shadow and his 12 million votes?” he asked rhetorically.

According to him, President Tinubu has failed Nigerians “in record time,” stating that the much-hyped “Renewed Hope” agenda has only produced “renewed hunger.”

He listed soaring inflation, the falling naira, epileptic power supply, unpaid salaries, and worsening insecurity as symptoms of a floundering government more interested in optics than solutions.

“This administration can’t tame inflation, can’t stop the naira from bleeding, can’t keep the lights on or salaries paid,” he said.

“Yet it has time to launch a PR war against a dead man,” he added.

Shaibu insisted that no presidential aide would dare attack a former president, especially one who has just died, without clearance from the top.

“No presidential aide attacks a former head of state, who isn’t even buried, without clearance from the top,” he claimed.

He challenged Tinubu to demonstrate leadership by immediately relieving Bayo Onanuga of his duties if the controversial comments were truly unauthorized.

The war of words between allies of Atiku and Tinubu comes amidst growing discontent nationwide over rising costs of living and worsening insecurity.

Buhari, who served as president from 2015 to 2023, died in London in July 2024 at the age of 81.

Although his administration faced criticism for economic hardship and perceived nepotism, Buhari retained a loyal political base and was credited with initiating key infrastructure projects and strengthening anti-insurgency efforts in the northeast.

As President Tinubu marks over a year in office, opposition figures continue to question his handling of the economy and security, accusing him of using political diversions to deflect public scrutiny.

Political observers say this latest confrontation reflects growing tension within the ruling class, with some factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) now seemingly at odds over the direction of the current administration.

The presidency has yet to issue an official response to Shaibu’s demands or clarify the extent to which Onanuga’s remarks represent the views of President Tinubu.

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