The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a strong swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing them of being power-hungry politicians with no solid record of public service.
In a statement issued on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, criticized the trio for their recent attacks on President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies. Morka defended Tinubu’s economic direction, noting that the President’s reforms—especially the removal of fuel subsidies and a market-driven exchange rate—are creating real changes in Nigeria.
Morka stated, “On the contrary, 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.
“The erstwhile artificially overvalued Naira stifled local production, encouraged import dependency, and exacerbated poverty. Ironically, Atiku and Peter Obi, who are now vociferously criticizing President Tinubu’s policies, amassed their wealth from the very import-dependent system they are desperately trying to preserve.
“Atiku, a former Customs Officer, and Obi, a successful importer, reaped enormous benefits from the old system. Their criticisms reek of special interest masqueraded as concern for the people. By allowing market forces to determine the Naira’s value, the administration is taking necessary bold steps to catalyze economic growth, incentivize investment, boost competitiveness, and alleviate poverty.
“Indubitably, in two years, President Tinubu has demonstrated political will to tackle structural barriers to the country’s economic growth and development far more than any other President in Nigeria’s modern history. By his bold economic reforms, President Tinubu is systematically building the most potent bulwark against poverty and positioning the economy to deliver sustained and sustainable growth and prosperity for all Nigerians.
The party asserted that their attacks on Tinubu’s reforms are purely self-serving, motivated by a desperate ambition to regain power and satisfy their insatiable appetite for rent-seeking an approach that has long hindered the nation’s economic progress.
It added, “The criticisms variously levelled by Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai and Peter Obi mask a shameless attempt to perpetuate and cling to the old rent-seeking economy that enriched them at the expense of the Nigerian people.
“As beneficiaries of the corrupt and inefficient economic system, they are discomforted that Tinubu’s reforms are dismantling the insidious and permissive system that enabled and sustained their reckless plunder and exploitation of the economy.
“Meanwhile, Nigerians in productive sectors are reaping the benefits of reforms that have increased opportunities and income. Entrepreneurs, farmers, and service providers are thriving, while rent-seekers like Amaechi and his coalition partners are left seething with rage at the disruption of their ability to milk the system for personal gain as before.
“The removal of fuel subsidy has been a game-changer. It ended massive corruption that plagued the fuel subsidy enterprise, eliminated perennial shortages and queues at petrol stations, and has sparked a surge in investments in the oil and gas and other sectors of the economy, further expanding opportunities for businesses and individuals.”
APC insisted that the harmonisation of multiple exchange rates has further bolstered Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global market for goods and capital.
It continued, “With increased revenue, the federal, state, and local governments are now investing more in critical infrastructure, education, health, security, and social welfare.
“Importantly, states that previously struggled to pay N30,000 minimum wage are now paying a significantly higher minimum wage of N70,000 per month. This is a testament to the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerians.
“The President’s reforms are dawning a new day for Nigeria, now witnessing economic transformation never before seen in our country’s history, driven by proper pricing of the Naira and fuel, and steadily transitioning the country from a consumption-laden to a production-oriented economic powerhouse.”
