Gladness Gideon
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fiercely criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai over recent comments alleging that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is “weaponising poverty.”
In a press statement signed by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, and shared on Monday, June 2, 2025, by Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the ruling party described the trio’s remarks as “baseless” and “a shameless display of self-serving desperation.”
The statements were made during a public lecture in Abuja to mark Amaechi’s 60th birthday on May 31, where he, Atiku, and El-Rufai reportedly criticised the Tinubu-led administration for worsening economic hardship in the country.
But the APC has dismissed their remarks, accusing the former officeholders of being “displaced rent-seekers” intent on returning to power to maintain their hold on national resources. The party said the critics were part of the same political establishment that mismanaged the country for over two decades without significantly reducing poverty or addressing structural economic challenges.
“They have individually and collectively failed to tackle poverty during their long years in power,” the statement read. “Instead, they enriched themselves through rent-seeking, corruption, and state-sponsored violence.”
The APC particularly criticised Amaechi’s remark that he was “hungry,” interpreting it as a metaphor for longing to return to state patronage. “If he is hungry barely two years out of office, it only confirms the self-serving motivations behind his political activism,” the statement added.
READ ALSO: Over 75% of Rural Nigerians Trapped in Poverty — World Bank
On broader economic reforms, the APC argued that President Tinubu’s policies—such as fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification—have dismantled the corrupt, inefficient systems that previously benefited the critics. The statement cited achievements like a reported 4.6% economic growth in Q4 2024, improved trade balances, increased exports, and higher internally generated revenue at all government levels.
The party also claimed that the rise in minimum wage to ₦70,000 in some states was a direct result of Tinubu’s reforms, which have prioritised economic productivity over political expediency.
“The President’s policies are catalysing industrialisation, food security, and entrepreneurship, while rent-seekers mourn the end of their era of economic exploitation,” the statement said.
The APC accused its critics of opposing reforms not out of genuine concern for the people, but because their personal wealth and political influence are threatened by the administration’s crackdown on the corrupt economic structures of the past.
Morka concluded that Tinubu’s government remains focused on economic transformation and will not be “distracted by the selfish partisan ramblings of political opportunists.”