The media aides of President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday clashed in a heated debate over who is more corrupt between their principals.

Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, fired the first shot in a post on X, reacting to Mr Abubakar’s viral video where the opposition politician vowed to crack down on corruption.

“A video of ex-VP Atiku Abubakar swearing in Allah’s name to punish corrupt people has been trending. The reason is not far-fetched: people found it incredible that Atiku, a well-known corrupt public official, would make such a vow,” Mr Onanuga said.

The presidential spokesperson added, “In the desperation of Atiku to become president, there is nothing he will not say to hoodwink people, as if we have no memory of the past. One thing that every Muslim knows is that he who invokes God and makes false vows will undoubtedly incur the wrath of God. There are consequences for such act.”

Phrank Shuaibu, spokesperson for Mr Atiku, replied to Mr Onanuga’s statement on X, challenging Mr Onanuga to bring “out one court document—just one—that proves @atiku is corrupt. Not propaganda, not sponsored innuendos, not the fiction churned out by your media mercenaries—an actual conviction or indictment by any court of law in Nigeria or abroad.”

Citing several scandals hanging over Mr Tinubu’s neck, Mr Shuaibu said, “Bayo, you work for a man whose entire political journey is littered with sealed court records, murky educational claims, forged documents, and a litany of unresolved scandals. A man who was fined for drug trafficking proceeds. A man whose idea of governance is nepotism wrapped in incompetence. Yet, it is Atiku Abubakar you call ‘desperate’?”

He added, “You speak of desperation, but who is more desperate than the gang of power mongers clinging to a failed presidency through propaganda, lies, and daily gaslighting of a nation sinking into despair? Who is more desperate than a cabal terrified of a free, fair contest in 2027—so much so that every utterance from the Waziri of Adamawa sends you people into coordinated panic?”

The clash between the two camps comes as politicians are aligning and realigning ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Tinubu, the incumbent president, is seeking reelection, while Mr Abubakar is galvanising support to oust him from office in the 2027 election.