Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over comments questioning how he financed the establishment of his university, insisting that his business and educational investment records are traceable.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said his investment in education began long before he became vice-president, accusing Tinubu of attempting to divert public attention from the economic challenges facing Nigerians by questioning his business history.

The exchange followed Tinubu’s remarks at an All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

The President had challenged Atiku to explain how he established the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State, while serving as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

Tinubu alleged that public resources were used to establish the institution, asking who financed the university and questioning Atiku’s moral integrity to seek the presidency.

In response, Atiku, through his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said his investment in education predated his entry into public office.

He maintained that he laid the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, arguing that the project later developed into the American University of Nigeria.

Atiku said: “The answer is simple: my investment in education predates my time in public service. In 1993, while a US court ordered the forfeiture of funds in an account in your name, describing them as proceeds of narcotics trafficking or funds involved in unlawful financial transactions, I was laying the foundation for ABTI Academy. That Academy has since grown into the American University of Nigeria.”

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The former vice-president described his business history as open to scrutiny, declaring that he could explain how he built his businesses and entered public leadership.

“That moment captures the difference between us. My history is traceable. I can show Nigerians how I built my name, achieved success in business and entered public leadership,” he said.

Atiku also revived the controversy surrounding the forfeiture of $460,000 in the United States involving an account in Tinubu’s name in 1993, using the development to challenge the President’s criticism of his own financial history.

He accused Tinubu of focusing on his educational investment to avoid addressing questions about the performance of his administration.

The ADC candidate argued that the more important issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election should be how to address the country’s economic difficulties, including rising living costs, poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

Atiku also criticised the President’s position on the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying Nigerians were yet to experience the promised economic benefits of the policy.

He challenged Tinubu’s argument that the country could not return to subsidised petrol prices, promising that an Atiku-led government would introduce what he described as a transparent, production-based subsidy linked to local refining.

According to him, the proposed arrangement would reduce the cost of energy, including petrol and diesel, while ensuring that Nigerians benefit directly from the country’s refining capacity.

He also promised to expand social welfare programmes and address what he described as an opaque system for distributing funds meant for economically vulnerable citizens.

Atiku said his Affordable Life campaign was designed to provide an alternative to the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, insisting that criticism of his campaign would not stop him from pursuing his presidential ambition.

He further declared that he would remain on the ballot for the 2027 election, expressing confidence in his chances against the incumbent President.

However, the timeline surrounding the establishment of Atiku’s university has also become part of the controversy.

While Atiku says he laid the foundation for ABTI Academy in 1993, information published on the American University of Nigeria’s website, as reported by THISDAY, states that he first established ABTI Academy, now known as AUN Academy, in 2002.

The university was licensed as ABTI University in 2003, while construction of its buildings began in October 2004. Its first students were admitted in the 2005/2006 academic session.

The difference between Atiku’s claimed 1993 beginning of his education investment and the university’s published establishment timeline is therefore an important detail in the dispute.

Tinubu has not, in the reports cited, provided documentary evidence to substantiate his allegation that public resources were used to finance the university. Atiku, for his part, maintains that his investment in education began before he became vice-president.

The exchange has added to the growing political confrontation between the President and the ADC presidential candidate as political activities ahead of the 2027 general election intensify.