Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing its members as “urban bandits” and President Bola Tinubu’s government as a “satanic status quo.”
Mr. Abubakar made the remarks on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in a post on X (former Twitter) while warning against attacks on himself and former presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi. He said such attacks weaken opposition unity and do not serve Nigeria’s interests.
Responding to an X user, @novieverest, Mr. Abubakar said internal disputes within the opposition only help the APC. The user had claimed that Atiku’s supporters insult Mr. Obi without facing backlash.
In his reply, Abubakar wrote: “Anyone who insults Obi or Atiku does not mean well for the leaders, the ADC coalition, or for Nigeria and Nigerians. The only people who benefit from such a civil war are the APC urban bandits who want to maintain the satanic status quo. We are better together.”
Abubakar and Obi ran on the same ticket in the 2019 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Both politicians have teamed up in a coalition of leading opposition politicians, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The coalition has continued to gain momentum, with several high-profile defections from the PDP and the Labour Party (LP) into its ranks.
