The All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, labelling them as unsuccessful politicians motivated solely by self-interest in their desperate quest for power.
In a statement on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka defended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, asserting that his reforms have triggered an unprecedented economic transformation in Nigeria. He highlighted that realistic pricing of the naira and fuel is gradually shifting the country from a consumption-driven to a production-based economy.
Over the weekend, Atiku, Amaechi, and El-Rufai blamed Tinubu for Nigeria’s growing poverty, accusing him of using poverty as a political tool and claiming his reforms benefit only a small elite while the majority suffer.
The APC countered that these critics held top political positions between 1999 and 2023—as Vice President, Governors, or Ministers—but failed to address the very issues they now condemn Tinubu for neglecting.
Morka said, “In all 24 years, the trio, individually or collectively, could not and did not eradicate poverty in their states or the country. They did not even attempt to address, let alone tackle, the structural challenges and distortions that stifled the economy and worsened poverty over the years.”
He accused them of engaging in corrupt, wasteful spending, selling national assets cheaply to cronies, and sponsoring state violence against their own people. Highlighting Amaechi’s long tenure—eight years as Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as Governor, and eight years as Minister—Morka called it “a quarter of a century of freeloading on state resources, with absolutely no record of attempting to combat poverty.”
Referring to Amaechi’s claim “I am hungry”, Morka said this reflects his desperation to return to dependence on state resources, underscoring “the self-serving motivations of Amaechi and his coalition partners in their quest for power for selfish exploitation, not for the interest of the people.”
The APC claimed Nigerians are not fooled by the disruptive tactics of Amaechi and his allies, noting they are losing influence amid Tinubu’s reforms, which prioritise hard work, productivity, and innovation over personal gain.
Morka argued, “It was the failure of previous administrations, particularly 16 years of PDP administrations, to allow the Naira to find its real value that created the economic conditions of poverty that the present administration is now addressing.”
He added that the previous artificially overvalued Naira stifled local production and encouraged import dependency, benefiting critics like Atiku and Peter Obi, who amassed wealth from the old system.
By allowing market forces to determine the Naira’s value, the Tinubu administration aims to boost economic growth, investment, competitiveness, and poverty reduction.
The party praised President Tinubu’s political will to tackle structural economic barriers, describing his reforms as building “the most potent bulwark against poverty” and positioning Nigeria for sustained growth.
The APC insisted the attacks on Tinubu’s reforms are self-serving attempts by Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai, and Obi to preserve an outdated rent-seeking economy that enriched them at the expense of Nigerians.
The statement continued, “Meanwhile, Nigerians in productive sectors are reaping benefits as entrepreneurs, farmers, and service providers thrive, while rent-seekers like Amaechi seethe at the disruption of their ability to milk the system for personal gain.”
The removal of fuel subsidy was hailed as a game-changer, ending corruption and shortages, and stimulating investment in oil, gas, and other sectors.
APC noted that harmonising multiple exchange rates has boosted Nigeria’s global competitiveness, enabling governments at all levels to invest more in infrastructure, education, health, security, and social welfare.
Significantly, states that struggled to pay a minimum wage of N30,000 now pay N70,000 monthly, reflecting the administration’s commitment to improving Nigerians’ welfare.
The party concluded that Tinubu’s reforms are ushering in a new economic era driven by proper pricing of the Naira and fuel, transitioning Nigeria into a production-oriented powerhouse.
(NAN)
