By Kolawole Ojebisi
The All Progressives Congress(APC)has described the trio of former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, ex-Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai as a bunch of sore losers desperate to regain power at all costs.
The ruling party maintained that the trio and other prominent politicans spearheading the emerging coalition party are driven by inordinate quest for power motivated solely by self-interest.
This is contained in a statement released on Monday, by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.
Morka defended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, stating that his reforms have sparked an unprecedented economic transformation in Nigeria.
He stressed that Atiku, Amaechi, and El-Rufai have all held top political positions in Nigeria between 1999 and 2023 yet failed to tackle the very issues they are now accusing Tinubu of neglecting.
Morka stated, “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.
“Rather, they revelled in mindless rent-seeking behaviour, sold national assets to their cronies for mere pittance, engaged in corrupt and wasteful expenditures in their states, and relentlessly sponsored state violence against their own people.
“Take the case of Amaechi, the celebrant, who served for an unbroken total of 24 years – eight years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as Governor of Rivers State, and eight years as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That’s about a quarter of a century of freeloading by Amaechi on state resources, with absolutely no record of attempting to combat poverty in his Rivers State or the country.
“When Amaechi declared, I am hungry, he must mean, and must be understood to mean, that he is hungry and desperate to return to his felt entitled dependency on state resources and patronage. That he is hungry barely two years out of office simply underscores the depth of the self-serving motivations of Amaechi and his coalition partners in their quest for power for selfish exploitation, and not for the interest of the people.”
According to the APC, Atiku, Amaechi, and El-Rufai who were used to exploiting the system are now being forced to adjust to President Tinubu’s groundbreaking reforms, which prioritize hard work, productivity, and innovation over personal gain.
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 statement continued: “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.”
Recall that over the weekend, Atiku, Amaechi, and El-Rufai took turns to lampooned the Tinubu administration over the growing poverty in the country.
They accused him of using poverty as a political tool, arguing that his economic reforms are deepening the country’s hardship by benefiting a small elite while leaving the majority of Nigerians to suffer.
