Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, has taken a sharp jab at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following his recent move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that Atiku lacks the capacity to fix Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, the former Edo State governor mocked Atiku’s political maneuvering, arguing that the ex–vice president’s long struggle to stabilise the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) undermines his claim of being able to rescue the country.
According to the former APC National Chairman, Atiku has failed to demonstrate meaningful leadership—either within the PDP or during his stints in other political parties.
“If Atiku, as a former vice president under the PDP, could not fix the PDP, could not reconstruct it, and could not provide leadership despite all the influence he built over the years, how then can he claim he can fix Nigeria?” Oshiomhole queried.
He also revisited Atiku’s earlier departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC), asserting that the former VP defected simply because he could not secure the party’s presidential ticket.
“He was once a member of the APC. He left because he lost the presidential ticket,” Oshiomhole stated. “He went back to the PDP—only for the purpose of contesting elections. Yet, he could not build the PDP. So, if Atiku cannot build the party that made him vice president, he certainly cannot fix Nigeria.”
Atiku joined the ADC four months after resigning from the PDP, citing deep internal crises within the opposition party.
Oshiomhole Targets Rotimi Amaechi
During the interview, Oshiomhole also launched a scathing critique of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of poor judgment and misplaced priorities while in office.
He referenced Amaechi’s tenure as Rivers State governor, particularly the prolonged shutdown of the state judiciary.
“Rotimi Amaechi is the most terrible,” Oshiomhole said. “He shut down the Rivers judiciary simply because he couldn’t impose his preferred candidate as chief judge. The judiciary was shut for almost two years.”
Turning to Amaechi’s time as transport minister, Oshiomhole criticised the management of the railway sector:
“Look at the crisis in the rail system he oversaw for eight years. He couldn’t get the priorities right. Instead of improving rail lines to Kano or Port Harcourt—his own hometown—he chose to build a railway to Niger Republic. What goods are we exporting to Niger Republic?”
Oshiomhole added that President Muhammadu Buhari gave his ministers full freedom to perform and that Amaechi had no excuse for failure.
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