Presidential aide Olusegun Dada has slammed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for questioning President Bola Tinubu's administration concerning the October 20, 2020, EndSARS protest.
Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, slammed Tinubu for not demonstrating empathy after protesters were allegedly attacked by security forces at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020.
He shared on X, "Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order? Let us also not forget that in October 2020, Bola Tinubu, rather than demonstrating the empathy and compassion the tragedy demanded, suggested that those who suffered casualties during the shooting had questions to answer. He asked: 'How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?' At a moment when Nigerians were demanding accountability for the violence against peaceful protesters, his response appeared more concerned with questioning the victims than demanding answers from those responsible."
Reacting, Tinubu's aide slammed Atiku for dragging Tinubu into the EndSARS incident that happened during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Dada, Atiku had different opportunities to ask Buhari questions concerning the protest but failed to do so.
He shared on X, "In case you have forgotten, we have not. On the 22nd of June 2024, you visited late former President Buhari in his hometown of Daura. Less than a year later, on the 11th of April 2025, you visited him again at his retirement home in Kaduna, renovated by President Tinubu. Those two opportunities presented you with chances to ask former President Buhari, who was President at the time of the Lekki Toll Gate protests, the questions you are now asking President Tinubu.
"That it took you six years to ask these questions is a testament to your insincerity and desperation to become President. Nigerians are not fools, they know you do not care about them; you only care about your inordinate ambition.
"In case your memory is failing you, sir, may I remind you that President Tinubu, who was an ordinary citizen in 2020, suffered perhaps more than anyone else during the protests. His Bourdillon home was almost razed, and he and his domestic staff fled for safety. He was harassed, cyberbullied, insulted, and cursed.
"Furthermore, using the phrase 'Lekki Massacre' to score cheap political points ignores the fact that a definitive, legally established massacre remains unproven to this day, with forensic evidence and multi-agency investigations heavily contradicting the initial social media casualty figures."
Tinubu's aide said twisting the complex tragedy of 2020 to pin it on a man who was himself a primary financial and political victim of the fallout is uncharitable and mean-spirited. He said Atiku's constant mudslinging is a transparent attempt to dust off his failed "Economic Recovery Plan" and hijack historical grief for campaign leverage.
"This is your final attempt at the Presidency of Nigeria, and it is tragic to watch you throw everything against the wall just to see what sticks. Good luck on a journey that is clearly headed to a dead end!" he said.
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