The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed disapproval towards former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai regarding their assertion that President Bola Tinubu is “weaponising” poverty.
The three individuals made this assertion during a public lecture in Abuja, commemorating Amaechi’s 60th birthday over the weekend.
Felix Morka, the spokesman for the APC, issued a statement criticizing the trio, indicating that they have failed to eradicate poverty in their respective states or the nation, despite having held various public positions.
He remarked, “They did not even make an effort to address, let alone confront, the structural challenges and distortions that have hindered the economy and exacerbated poverty over the years.
“Amaechi and his associates are losing their influence over the economy. Having been accustomed to exploiting the economy, they are now forced by Tinubu’s unprecedented reforms to adjust to a new reality where diligence, productivity, and innovation are acknowledged and rewarded.
“Their critiques of President Tinubu’s reforms are clearly self-serving, motivated by a desperate desire for power to satisfy their insatiable appetite for rent-seeking, which has long impeded and denied progress to the economy.”
The APC asserted that Tinubu has “exhibited the political determination to address structural obstacles to the nation’s economic growth and development more effectively than any other President in Nigeria’s contemporary history.”
“The criticisms directed by Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai, and Peter Obi are a blatant attempt to maintain and cling to the outdated rent-seeking economy that has benefited them at the expense of the Nigerian populace.
“The elimination of the fuel subsidy has proven to be transformative. It has eradicated the extensive corruption that plagued the fuel subsidy system and has put an end to the chronic shortages and long queues at petrol stations.
The alignment of various exchange rates has enhanced Nigeria’s competitiveness in the international market for goods and capital. With the rise in revenue, the federal, state, and local governments are now allocating more resources towards essential infrastructure, education, health, security, and social welfare,” the statement indicated.
