Atiku's aide blasts presidency over INEC partisanship claim

On April 4, Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, slammed presidential aide Bayo Onauga over comments criticizing the ADC. Onauga had posted: "Just continue your illegality, the lawless ADC. The dog that wants to get lost in the forest will ignore the hunter's whistle." Ibe responded: "Dear @aonanuga1956, When a man is crying louder than the bereaved, just like you are doing now, there's a likelihood he is the one who killed the person." He added: "We have it on good authority that the INEC statement that revealed the partisanship of the Prof Joash Amupitan-led electoral umpire was generated in the presidency."

This social media clash underscores escalating political tensions as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections. The ADC is reportedly in crisis, with key opposition figures—David Mark, Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso—meeting in Abuja recently. Atiku has been vocal on multiple fronts: alleging Tinubu's detachment from Plateau killings, calling El-Rufai's detention politically motivated, and criticizing the Senate's swift approval of a $6bn loan.

The allegation that INEC's statement was "generated in the presidency" aims to delegitimize the electoral commission's independence—a recurring theme in Nigerian politics. For voters, this rhetoric raises questions about institutional integrity ahead of the next polls. Will these accusations erode public trust in INEC, or will they be dismissed as routine political sparring?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/04/04/crying-more-than-the-bereaved-atiku-media-aide-blasts-presidency/