Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently rein in his family members, particularly his son, Seyi Tinubu, over allegations of assault and bribery levied by the National President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Atiku Isah.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Seyi Tinubu appeared determined to purchase political loyalty for his father by any means necessary, including coercion, violence, and intimidation.
Atiku, in a statement signed by Paul Ibe from the Atiku Media Office, noted the “serious allegations made by the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Atiku Isah — alleging physical assault, abduction, and inducement at the hands of Seyi Tinubu as deeply alarming and strike at the core of democratic norms and civil liberty.
“That such grave accusations are being levelled against a member of the first family is both disturbing and dangerous.
“Had this incident ended fatally, it would have been recorded among the growing list of atrocities committed by criminal elements in the country.
“That it is allegedly tied to the President’s own son makes it even more horrifying. What’s worse is the emerging suggestion that even top security officials are not beyond Seyi Tinubu’s overreaching influence — an unacceptable compromise of state institutions,” the ex-VP said.
He further declared as intolerable that the first family would seek to subjugate the NANS or any civil society group through threats, bribes, or brute force, stressing that Nigeria is a democratic republic, not a monarchy handed down to one family.
The Waziri Adamawa urged well-meaning Nigerians to rise and speak out. “The actions of the President’s family, specifically their rabid drive to consolidate political power through manipulation and fear must be condemned unequivocally. We must remind them that the presidency is a public trust, not a private inheritance.”
The statement further described the alleged attempts to drag the former vice president into the said scandal by alleging a political alliance with Comrade Isah as baseless, malicious, and desperate.
Ibeh said the former vice president’s meeting with Isah was centered solely on education reform and improving student welfare, which also includes institutions he founded, like the American University of Nigeria and AUN Academy.
“Comrade Isah’s advocacy and public stance must be evaluated based on fact, not fiction. The allegations of abuse he has made demand an independent investigation, especially since the very agencies meant to protect citizens appear complicit in his ordeal.
“We issue a clear warning: nothing must happen to this young man. Any harm to him will not go unnoticed or unchallenged. Nigerians deserve truth, accountability, and a leadership that respects the rule of law — not a regime that weaponises power to silence dissent,” the statement added.
It noted Atiku’s firm commitment to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and the use of education as a cornerstone for national progress and development.
“He will not be distracted by false narratives or cowardly intimidation,” Atiku Media Office said.
