A combo of Senator Adams Oshiomhole and ex-VP Atiku Abubakar.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress, insisting the former presidential candidate does not possess the capacity to solve Nigeria’s problems.

Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He argued that Atiku’s inability to stabilise or reform the Peoples Democratic Party undermines his claims of having the competence to lead the country.

“If Atiku, as a former vice-president under PDP, could not fix PDP, he could not reconstruct it, and he could not provide leadership and use his influence, which he had built, how can you lay claim to fix Nigeria?” Oshiomhole said.

The former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress also revisited Atiku’s earlier exit from the ruling party, saying the former vice-president defected only after he failed to secure the APC presidential ticket.

“He was once a member of the APC. He left because he lost the party’s presidential ticket,” he said. “He went back to the PDP. He’s so much in love with the PDP, at least for the purpose of contesting election. He could not build PDP. So, if Atiku can’t build the PDP that made him vice-president, he can’t fix Nigeria.”

Atiku joined the ADC four months after resigning from the PDP, citing deep internal disputes within the opposition party.

During the programme, Oshiomhole also took aim at former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. He accused the ex-minister of poor judgement and misplaced priorities both as Rivers State governor and as a member of the Buhari administration.

“Rotimi Amaechi is the most terrible. Look at the choice of language. A guy who shut down Rivers judiciary because he wanted to appoint his own personal favourite as chief judge of Rivers State,” Oshiomhole claimed. “Once he couldn’t have his way, the Rivers State judiciary was shut down for almost two years.”

He went on to criticise Amaechi’s handling of the rail sector.

“Look at the crisis in the railway system that he superintended over for eight unbroken years. He was unable to get the priorities right, playing to the gallery. Now he rather constructed a rail, not to Kano, not to Port Harcourt, where he came from, but to the Niger Republic,” he said. “Which goods are we sending to the Republic of Niger?”

Oshiomhole added that anyone who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari had full operational liberty.

“If you were a minister under Buhari, you would be fair to him, life or death, because Buhari gave anyone he appointed a free hand to do the job he assigned to you,” he said.