The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed allegations made by Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir el-Rufai that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deliberately exacerbating poverty to achieve political gains.
The quartet, comprising former presidential candidates and high-ranking government officials, made the claims at an event in Abuja marking Amaechi’s 60th birthday. However, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka argued that their criticisms were motivated by self-interest and a desire to cling to the old rent-seeking economy that enriched them at the expense of Nigerians.
Morka stated, “The quartet’s claims are a shameless attempt to hold onto the corrupt and inefficient economic system that enabled and sustained their reckless plunder and exploitation of the economy.” He added that Amaechi, having served 24 years in various government positions, lacked the moral authority to make such claims, given his own record of “freeloading” on state resources without attempting to combat poverty.
The APC spokesperson further noted that Amaechi’s recent admission of feeling “hungry” barely two years after leaving office underscored his self-serving motivations and those of his coalition partners.
Meanwhile, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba countered that the APC was more focused on celebrating defections than governance. He claimed that Tinubu’s administration was deliberately weakening opposition parties by encouraging defections through coercion and inducement.
Ologunagba stated, “The President’s declaration of preference for a one-party state shows that they are aggressively attacking the processes of other political parties.” He added that the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting communiqué addressed the trend, noting that most defections were not based on conviction but pressure from the ruling party.
In a separate development, civil rights activist Shehu Sani blamed leaders of the North for the region’s woes, while urging Northerners to support Tinubu in 2027. Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the Senate, argued that the North’s problems were largely self-inflicted.
The controversy highlights the ongoing political tensions between the ruling APC and opposition parties, with both sides engaging in a war of words over governance, poverty, and political strategy.
