Usman Yusuf: Atiku Accuses Tinubu’s Govt Of Silencing Its Critics

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of attempting to silence its critics.

Naija News reports that the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate made this assertion in reaction to the recent arrest of former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf.

Recall that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Yusuf on Wednesday after raiding his Abuja home.

It was reported that the anti-graft agency arrested the professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation in his house in the presence of his wife and children at about 4:46 pm on Wednesday over an unknown offence.

Sources who confirmed the incident to newsmen said Yusuf was driven to an unknown location after the EFCC operatives picked him up.

Atiku has since described the development as ‘politically motivated’.

The former Vice President further accused the incumbent government of exploiting state institutions to stifle dissent, saying the Tinubu administration continued to protect some individuals under investigation.

“Two days ago, the nation was jolted by the arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a fierce and unyielding social critic.

“Though the charges against him have been festering since the previous administration, it is impossible to ignore the strong likelihood that his detention is politically motivated.

“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals who themselves are embroiled in scandals and investigations by both local and international authorities, continues to use the very machinery of the state to silence its critics. It weaponizes these pending investigations to suppress all opposition.

“It is absurd that while the administration shelters those under investigation, it continues to exploit state institutions to stifle dissent, all under the false pretence of combating corruption.

“Even to the most inattentive, it has become glaringly clear that Tinubu is not waging a war on corruption — he is waging a war on the opposition, manipulating the system for his political advantage,” Atiku wrote on X.