By Adeko Ukpa

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has commended members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) for their courage in telling President Bola Tinubu about the poor state of the economy and warning against one-party state.

Frank in a statement in Abuja, said the bishops deserved commendation for looking the President “in the face” and telling him what he described as the bitter truth about the state of the nation.

He urged other Christian and Muslim religious leaders to emulate the Catholic bishops by speaking truth to power and demanding accountability from the government.

“We commend the Catholic leaders for their courage. We have not seen this kind of courage from religious leaders in Nigeria for a long time. They were brave enough to look the President in the face and tell him the bitter truth,” Frank said.

He urged Tinubu to heed the bishops’ advice, saying doing so would save the President from further embarrassment.

“The President should heed their advice. By doing so, he will save himself from embarrassment. These are true leaders, and we expect other religious bodies to follow the example set by the Catholic leaders,” he said.

Frank, however, accused some religious leaders, particularly some Pentecostal leaders, of failing to speak truthfully to the government after visiting the Presidential Villa.

“Unfortunately, some religious leaders, particularly some Pentecostal leaders, go to the Villa, drink tea with the President and forget what they went there to say. They come back with envelopes and the story becomes different,” he alleged.

He said religious leaders should not restrict themselves to praying for the President when, according to him, they are aware of the challenges confronting the country.

“When they have the opportunity to tell the President the truth, they simply say they are praying for him. But they know the truth. They know the damage that has been done in this country. How long will they continue to sit and pray when they should be speaking the truth?” Frank asked.

The former APC chieftain also accused the Tinubu administration of worsening corruption, insecurity, poverty and unemployment, while alleging that the government had weakened democratic institutions and political parties.

“What legacy is President Tinubu going to leave behind? What will Nigerians remember about his administration when he leaves office?

“Unfortunately, the legacy Nigerians are seeing is corruption taken to another level and insecurity taken to another level. Poverty and unemployment have also reached unprecedented levels,” he said.

Frank further alleged that the administration was working towards manipulating the 2027 elections because, according to him, Tinubu would not win a free and fair election.

“He knows that if there is a free and fair election today, he is not going to come back. Instead of being desperate to destroy political parties and democratic institutions, the President should do the right thing: conduct free and fair elections,” he said.

He also accused the government of using the judiciary to weaken opposition political parties and urged the President to respect democratic institutions.

“He should stop doing everything possible to manipulate the electoral process, including using the judiciary to weaken or destroy opposition political parties. There is too much interference in the judiciary and in democratic institutions,” Frank said.

Frank also appealed to Muslim and other Christian leaders to demonstrate the same courage as the Catholic bishops by openly challenging government policies they considered harmful to Nigerians.

“We urge other religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, to be courageous enough to follow the example of the Catholic leaders. They should look the President in the face and tell him the truth.

“This is the time to speak the truth. They should tell President Tinubu that he has failed and that, having failed, he should not seek another term,” he said.

By Adeko Ukpa

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has launched a blistering attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of turning former Vice President Atiku Abubakar into an election-year scapegoat every four years.

Frank said it was shameful that Obasanjo, despite serving as President between 1999 and 2007, had allegedly continued to evade responsibility for the record of his administration while repeatedly dragging Atiku into the political mud whenever another election approached.

In a strongly worded statement, Frank described Obasanjo’s repeated attacks on Atiku as an “outdated blackmail pattern” which, according to him, Nigerians had become tired of.

He accused the former President of deliberately shifting blame to Atiku for the failures of an administration in which he himself wielded the ultimate constitutional authority.

Frank said Atiku was instrumental in assembling the technocrats and professionals who, according to him, delivered some of the major achievements credited to the Obasanjo administration.

He therefore challenged Obasanjo to take responsibility for both the successes and failures of the government instead of repeatedly portraying his former deputy as the architect of its problems.

He also referenced the 1999-2007 administration and accused Obasanjo of failing to take responsibility for controversial actions during his tenure, including military operations in Odi, Bayelsa State, and Zaki Biam, Benue State.

“If it is true that Atiku committed all of these things you have constantly accused him of, then we can conclude that you were a full accomplice as you presided over as President, because all the approving powers rested solely within your purview,” Frank said.

He accused Obasanjo of reviving allegations against Atiku whenever elections draw near, describing the former President’s intervention as a predictable political ritual.

“It is now a home movie series where you remember Atiku every four years for the single fact of smearing and gaslighting your ex-VP whenever an election cycle is near,” he said.

Frank declared that Nigerians were no longer interested in what he described as Obasanjo’s “stale and outdated” rhetoric, insisting that the former President should offer fresh ideas instead of recycling allegations against Atiku.

He further accused Obasanjo of assuming the role of a political “spoiler” whenever the country appeared poised for a change of government.

“It is your prerogative not to support Alhaji Atiku, which is constitutional, but using this blackmail tactic is stale and wouldn’t give your preferred candidate victory at the polls,” Frank said.

“We urge you to put a hold to this comedy skit every four years where you are being recruited as a spoiler for which you are known for since your days as military Head of State.”

According to him, Obasanjo should stop attacking Atiku and, if he has a preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 election, openly campaign for that candidate.

“Sell your candidate if you have one at all and refrain from allowing yourself to be used before the issue of Atiku becomes a nightmare that may eventually consume you,” he said.

Frank also dismissed what he described as attempts to portray Atiku as the major obstacle to Nigeria’s progress, arguing that the former vice president had been subjected to numerous investigations without, according to him, producing the outcome his critics have repeatedly alleged.

Turning the attack directly on Obasanjo, Frank alleged that the former President had remained unusually focused on Atiku while failing to devote similar energy to criticising the current administration.

“Atiku isn’t the problem of Nigeria right now and we dare you to criticize the current government like the way you cry about Atiku,” Frank said.

He also challenged Obasanjo to account for controversial actions taken during his presidency, including the military operations in Odi, Bayelsa State, and Zaki Biam, Benue State.

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, said it was hypocritical for Obasanjo to repeatedly put Atiku on trial in the court of public opinion while refusing to confront questions surrounding his own record in office.

“Obasanjo knows the truth that Atiku is eminently qualified and possesses the requisite capacity to lead Nigeria, but doing a hatchet job by criticising him has become a money making business for the Owu Chief. Fortunately, Nigerians are fully aware of this, hence they ignore him,” he said.

He said Obasanjo’s political interventions had also failed to translate into electoral victories for candidates he had backed, arguing that his political influence had been exaggerated.

“Your political value is whitewash and a ruse because any candidate you support has always been defeated at the polls, even in your state of Ogun,” Frank said.

He warned that Obasanjo should be mindful of the consequences of turning his political disagreements with Atiku into a recurring public spectacle.

Frank said Atiku had deliberately maintained his silence and refrained from responding personally to Obasanjo, describing that restraint as maturity.

According to him, Atiku could reveal damaging information about his former boss if he chose to respond publicly.

He urged Obasanjo to conduct himself as an elder statesman and emulate the restraint, in his view, demonstrated by former military leaders including Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Yakubu Gowon.

Frank said Obasanjo should recognise that political power was ultimately determined by Nigerians and not by any individual political godfather.

“If it is destined for Atiku to become President, neither you nor anyone else can stop it,” he said.

He added: “Hopefully, by God’s grace, you will witness Atiku becoming President before you leave this earth.”

By Adeko Ukpa

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has dismissed claims that a reported letter from United States President Donald Trump amounts to an endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a routine diplomatic correspondence acknowledging security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.

Frank who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, challenged the Presidency to publish the purported letter, insisting that any genuine communication from the American President should bear the official White House seal and President Trump’s signature.

“The letter is not from the White House. If it doesn’t have the White House seal and the signature of the President of the United States, it appears dubious at best,” Frank said, questioning the authenticity of the document being celebrated by the Federal Government.

He maintained that, even if the letter exists, it should not be interpreted as political support for Tinubu or his administration.

“The letter only commended Nigeria for partnering with the United States in addressing insecurity. That is the only reason President Trump may have written it. It was not an endorsement of President Tinubu’s leadership, his economic policies or his administration. It did not say the Trump administration is backing President Tinubu or supporting him for any election in Nigeria. The Presidency is only trying to change the narrative by presenting it as something more than it is,” he said.

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, alleged that the publicity surrounding the reported correspondence was designed to divert public attention from ongoing discussions over the release and circulation of documents relating to President Tinubu’s alleged past drug-related matters.

He noted that the letter was reportedly dated July 6 but only came into the public domain much later, arguing that if it truly represented a major political endorsement from President Trump, it would have been publicised immediately rather than surfacing weeks afterward.

Describing such correspondence as routine diplomatic practice, Frank said countries collaborating with the United States on security and other strategic interests frequently exchange letters of commendation, adding that such communication should not be mistaken for political backing.

According to him, the Federal Government’s celebration of the reported letter suggested it was seeking international legitimacy and credibility rather than presenting an extraordinary diplomatic achievement.

“By celebrating this ‘letter’, the government is showing that it is looking for legitimacy and credibility before the international community. If it had confidence in its credibility, it would not make so much of an ordinary diplomatic letter,” he stated.

Frank recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari was invited to the White House during Trump’s first term, arguing that such direct engagement carried far greater diplomatic significance than a reported letter.

“President Trump invited Buhari when he was President. They stood together and addressed the world. If Tinubu believes President Trump is impressed with his administration, then he should visit Trump and stand side by side with him so the world can hear directly what he has achieved,” he said.

The former APC spokesman also questioned reports that the Federal Government had spent millions of dollars on lobbyists in the United States to improve its international image, arguing that a government enjoying genuine international credibility would have little need for expensive reputation management abroad.

He further maintained that the United States has consistently projected itself as a defender of democracy, the rule of law, electoral integrity and the protection of human rights.

“The United States will never support a government that is corrupt, cannot protect the lives of its citizens, or is tyrannical. America will always stand for democracy, election integrity and the protection of lives. Nigerians should not be deceived by the celebration of this ‘letter’.

“The United States remains committed to supporting efforts to address insecurity, protect election integrity and promote democratic values in Nigeria. That should not be mistaken for an endorsement of the Tinubu administration,” he said.

Frank insisted that questions surrounding the release of court documents relating to President Tinubu’s alleged past drug-related case remained matters of public interest and should not be overshadowed by attempts to derive political capital from what he described as a routine diplomatic exchange. He challenged the Tinubu administration to publish the purported letter allegedly signed by President Trump.

“Ultimately, credibility and integrity cannot be conferred by a letter, a diplomatic exchange or a public relations campaign. They are earned through transparent leadership, accountability, respect for democratic institutions and faithful service to the people,” Frank said.