Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate return of President Bola Tinubu to Nigeria.

Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, said Tinubu’s trip to France is grossly unjustified and an insult to Nigerians.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) added that President Tinubu has abandoned the country at a time when Nigerians are battling poverty, insecurity, and despair.

He described Tinubu’s absence in the country at a time attacks are being recorded in Plateau and Borno States as a dereliction of duty.

Naija News reports that Atiku submitted that there is nothing Tinubu is doing in France that can’t be done anywhere in Nigeria.

“On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu flew out to France. Had this absurd announcement come just a day earlier, Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April Fool’s joke. But sadly, it’s no prank — just another insult to a nation pushed to the brink by a presidency that treats its citizens like fools.

“The official excuse? A so-called “working visit.” But Nigerians aren’t buying the spin. The presidency scrambled to clarify that it wasn’t a medical trip — how noble. But even if it’s not medical tourism, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds? What kind of leader borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad? It’s not just irresponsible— it’s contemptuous.

“Let the facts speak for themselves. By the time Tinubu struts back from this latest escapade, he will have racked up a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office. “See Paris and die?” No — see Paris and abandon your country.

“While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding. Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair.

“This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale.

“If Tinubu had even a shred of empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with an ounce of patriotism wouldn’t need to be begged to show up in times of crisis. The constitution says the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. But under Tinubu, that sacred duty has been trashed.

“Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon.

“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency? Atiku asked in the statement signed by his media aide, Paul Ibe