Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of orchestrating the supposed tensions between his camp and Peter Obi, a former Anambra governor.

Mr Abubakar said Mr Tinubu’s government was plotting to wipe out opposition parties in the country.

Paul Ibe, spokesperson for Mr Abubakar, in a statement on Thursday, said, “Rather than wipe out the bandits ravaging Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Niger, and other states, Tinubu is more interested in wiping out opposition voices. His goal is clear: to force Nigeria into a one-party state.”

Mr Abubakar alleged that Mr Tinubu’s government was wasting the country’s resources on orchestrating crises within the opposition parties.

“We wish to state for the record that Tinubu and his political camp have been sponsoring crises within the opposition parties. It beats our imagination as to why the presidency is resorting to wasting scarce public funds to stir up internal conflicts in a bid to weaken alternative political voices,” Mr Abubakar stated.

“We are fully aware that the supposed tensions between supporters of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi within the coalition were orchestrated by the presidency. Unfortunately for them, their divisive game has failed – the cracks have been sealed, and the Coalition stands stronger than ever.”

Berating Mr Tinubu for abandoning governance and being fixated with politicking, the politician said, “It’s alarming that more than halfway into his controversial and widely rejected mandate, Tinubu is still leading an APC government that is directionless, incompetent, and completely disconnected from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

“While Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity, hunger, and poverty, Tinubu is busy playing petty politics. He has abandoned governance and is fixated on a 2027 re-election campaign despite having nothing to show for his 2023 mandate.”

This statement followed Mr Tinubu’s dismissal of the African Democratic Congress coalition formed by Mr Abubakar and Mr Obi as a “coalition of confusion.”

Mr Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the opposition as “a coalition of confusion.”