Atiku challenges Shettima to address economy, not school records

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has criticised Vice President Kashim Shettima for mocking former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his educational background instead of addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The council accused Shettima of being disconnected from the hardship facing Nigerians, including rising food prices, transportation costs and fuel prices.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the group said Shettima missed an opportunity to explain the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
“At the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja today, Vice President Kashim Shettima had a chance to explain why Nigerians are struggling to afford fuel, transport and food. Instead, he mocked Atiku Abubakar for attending the Kano School of Hygiene. Faced with the cost of living crisis, this government’s Vice President attacked a man’s school,” the statement said.
The council defended Atiku’s educational background, arguing that his attendance at the Kano School of Hygiene was not a source of shame.
It said millions of Nigerians had pursued education through similar pathways before building successful careers.
“What, exactly, is shameful about Atiku’s education? He completed secondary school, pursued further training and built a life through work. Millions of Nigerians have travelled the same road. Their parents sacrificed to get them into the schools they could afford; they studied, worked and rose. Shettima looked at that struggle and saw something to laugh at,” it added.
The campaign council also challenged Shettima to address questions surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s educational records.
It alleged that a document in Tinubu’s Chicago State University records listed him as having graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970, although the school was established in 1974.
“If Shettima wants to examine school records, he should begin with the man he serves. A document in Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University records lists him as having graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970, four years before the school was established in 1974. Shettima should explain how a man graduates from a school before it exists, instead of mocking Atiku for attending a school whose doors were open,” the statement said.
The council further raised questions about the name on Tinubu’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It said the certificate bore the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” and noted that Atiku had challenged the discrepancy in court.
“Shettima cannot ridicule Atiku’s documented schooling while refusing to address questions about the name on his principal’s certificate,” the statement added.
The ADC campaign council also referred to the ongoing legal disputes involving documents relating to Tinubu’s Chicago State University records in the United States.
It maintained that questions surrounding documents submitted in connection with Tinubu’s election should be addressed independently of political exchanges over Atiku’s educational background.
“Tinubu’s Chicago State University documents are also still the subject of litigation in the United States. The questions raised about documents submitted for his election must be answered on their own terms. Insulting Atiku’s school will not make them disappear,” the statement said.
The council also referenced Tinubu’s 1993 forfeiture of funds in Chicago arising from a narcotics investigation, arguing that the issue remained in the public domain.
The campaign council’s criticism extended to the economic situation, with the group challenging Shettima’s warning that Atiku’s economic proposals could return Nigeria to poverty.
“Shettima says Atiku wants Nigerians to ‘backslide into penury.’ Back from where? The World Bank estimates that nearly seven in ten Nigerians will live below its lower middle income poverty line in 2026, while 35 million people face acute food insecurity. Poverty is not a future threat to these families. It is the life they are struggling through today,” the statement said.
The council argued that the rising cost of living had left many households struggling to meet basic needs, including food and transportation.
“A parent choosing between transport to work and food for the children does not need Shettima to explain penury. His remark shows how far this government has drifted from the people it serves,” it added.
The statement also defended Atiku’s proposal for a targeted and capped petrol subsidy tied to fuel refined in Nigeria, subject to independent auditing.
It challenged the Federal Government to provide figures demonstrating why the proposal would be unworkable or present an alternative that would ease the financial burden on Nigerians.
“Atiku has proposed a targeted, capped and independently audited subsidy tied to petrol refined in Nigeria. If Shettima thinks it cannot be funded, he should show his figures and offer a better way to lower prices. Insulting Atiku will not fill a cooking pot, pay a bus fare or put fuel in a tank,” the statement said.
The council maintained that Atiku had no reason to be ashamed of his educational background, accusing Shettima of ridiculing an honest educational journey while millions of Nigerians continued to struggle economically.
It also criticised the Tinubu administration over the country’s economic performance since assuming office in 2023.
“After three and a half years in the saddle, Nigerians have seen the bitter consequences of allowing a man with a forged education to become President. Tinubu is an error the Nigerian electorate made in 2023, and on January 16, 2027, the whole country will be impatient to correct that error,” the statement said.
The council predicted that Nigerians would express their dissatisfaction with the administration through their votes in the 2027 presidential election.
“Shettima and Bola may be too far removed from ordinary homes to hear the anger building inside them. Those homes will have a voice at the ballot box. Nigerians will answer the Vice President’s mockery and his boss’s record with their votes. Shettima and Bola will be beaten by the very people they have stopped listening to,” the statement added.
Tighten the story for publication
Attribute every disputed allegation
Make the headline more punchy