Again, Atiku Tackles Tinubu, Says He Came to Power Without a Plan

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has again lashed out at President Bola Tinubu, saying the failures of his administration’s economic policies are the result of his hasty ascent to power, which is devoid of any coherent plan.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also described the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party of “political vampires” who thrive and relish in “sucking the blood” of citizens and foisting excruciating pain and hardship on Nigerians.

But APC described Atiku’s relentless condemnation of the policies of the Tinubu administration as hypocrisy taken too far.

In a statement, Atiku said, ”I have taken note of the initial responses highlighting the striking disparity between President Tinubu’s faltering economic policies and the alternatives I have proposed.

“It is exciting to witness such a vigorous debate on these critical matters, and I sincerely hope that this discourse will ultimately benefit Nigeria and its citizens.

”Like many fellow Nigerians, I firmly believe that we find ourselves in this current economic turmoil due to the Tinubu administration’s hasty ascent to power, devoid of a coherent plan.

”In stark contrast, my team not only devised a comprehensive recovery plan, but also welcomed significant input from Nigerians, ensuring that our approach was inclusive and well-considered.”

Atiku stressed, ”Isn’t it fascinating how the so-called ‘tested’ Tinubu administration’s only policy response seems to be a national prayer led by the First Lady and the NSA? Just a mere 24 hours after I proposed my alternative solutions? What a bold strategy!

”In my humble interpretation of the scriptures, prayer indeed serves as a noble path to follow. However, the sacred texts also counsel us to engage in diligent labour and hard work.

”It is, therefore, uncharitable for Tinubu’s team to claim that my proposals remain untested. What remains unproven is the erratic, trial-and-error nature of the policies so far implemented by this administration, which elucidates our present predicament.

”Let us not forget that under our economic stewardship between 1999 and 2003, Nigeria soared to the pinnacle of Africa’s economies, while their administration has relegated us to a disheartening fourth position.”

He contended, ”The average GDP rate under the Obasanjo administration that I served in was 6.59% and peaked at 15% in 2002; 7.98% under the late Yar’Adua administration and 4.8% under Jonathan compared to the dismal 2.8% of the so-called ‘tested’ Tinubu era. Enough of the pains of the shambolic ‘bolekaja’ economic policy prescriptions!

”We cannot hope to tax our way out of the economic quagmire wrought by these misguided experimental policies of a novice administration.

“Numerous nations, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Monaco (an EU territory with a zero-income tax policy), among many others, have emerged as economic powerhouses by fostering growth through lower taxation. Why then are we fixated on inflicting further hardship upon an already struggling populace?

”One can only speculate that Tinubu’s government is anchored to a mere Tea-plan, which can only lead to a T-pain.”
The PDP 2023 presidential candidate, concluded, “Let me emphasise that the citizens, who cast their votes in the 2023 presidential election are well aware that I did not lose. Rather, we find ourselves in this predicament because the election was criminally stolen from the Nigerian people.”

PDP: APC a Party of Vampires

PDP described APC as a party of “political vampires” who thrive and relish in “sucking the blood” of citizens and foisting excruciating pain and hardship on Nigerians.

PDP further described APC as a haven of power-grabbers, treasury looters and manipulators, who were only out to “grab, snatch and run” with the national patrimony at the expense of millions of citizens.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, PDP condemned the APC attack on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for speaking out for the Nigerian masses, who had been subjected to untold hardship by the APC administration.

PDP described the attack on Makinde as reckless, insensitive, and a reprehensible display of arrogance in failure.

PDP said the attack also confirmed that the ruling party was jittery that its days were numbered, as Nigerians had seen through its lies, subterfuge, falsehood, suppressive policies and crass incompetence in governance.

Ologunagba said Makinde remained a credible and effective leader with astonishing record of performance, not only in prioritising the needs of the people of Oyo State as evident in the numerous development projects in the state.

He said the governor was also working with other governors elected on the platform of PDP in the quest for development, sustenance of democracy and resistance to APC’s scheme to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

The statement said, ”It is, indeed, an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that in the midst of worsening insecurity, biting economic hardship, widespread hunger and starvation, comatose infrastructure, crippled productive sector, weakened currency, closure of millions of businesses with over 36 per cent unemployment rate, hopelessness and general despondency all occasioned by the irresponsible anti-people policies of the APC administration, the APC is living in alternate reality, arrogantly claiming that Nigeria is “on the cusp of prosperity.
”Our party finds it preposterous that the APC thinks that it can continue to hoodwink citizens with lies and harvest of false performance claims when it has failed on all fronts, reversed all the gains made in the 16 years of the PDP in governance and turned our once economically thriving nation into the poverty capital of the world, where over 100 million Nigerians are no longer able to afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life.

”Today, under the APC voodoo economy, the Naira which exchanged for N168 to the Dollar under the PDP now exchanges for almost N2,000 per Dollar, petrol which sold for N87 per litre now sells for over N1,500 in various parts of the country; a bag of rice which sold for N8,000 now sells for over N100,000, a measure of beans which sold for N250 now sells for N3,800 while a measure of garri which sold for N100 now sells for N1,500.”

At the same time, the Oyo State chapter of PDP, said, “We read with amusement a statement issued on Sunday by the national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) attacking Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for saying what is an obvious truth that the 2027 general election would be a contest between the APC and the people of Nigeria.

“Democracy is about politicians meeting the people at the polls. Why is the APC afraid of meeting the people at the polls in 2027? A party that has been doing the will of the people would thank Governor Makinde for pairing it with the people. But the sinner will run when nobody is pursuing them. The APC is that sinner. It shall not go unpunished.

“We believe that the APC statement was very unnecessary, wrongly directed and wrongly themed. If the APC and its federal government are doing well and the people are happy with them why would they see Makinde’s statement as an attack on their government?”

APC: Atiku’s Criticism is Hypocrisy Taken Too Far

APC described condemnation of the policies of the Tinubu administration by Atiku as hypocrisy taken too far.
National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, in a statement, said since Atiku’s electoral loss in 2023, the presidential candidate of PDP had been restless.

Morka stated, “His unabated wholesale condemnation of every policy initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was punctuated, last Sunday, by a statement of what he would have done differently to solve our country’s challenges and transform Nigeria, had he been elected President.

“Atiku’s policy prescription was a disappointing rehash of more of the same old disastrous policy approaches that brought our country to its knees, to begin with, under the PDP’s long rule.

“While conceding that he would have removed fuel subsidy and eliminated the multiple exchange rate regimes, Atiku offered an implementation plan that regurgitates the same tired and ineffective ideas that turned widespread corruption, inefficiency, and economic stagnation as pillars of state policy under successive PDP administrations.”

Morka added that Atiku’s policy offering starkly failed to acknowledge complex contradictions, past mistakes and the extreme urgency of the moment.

He stressed that his gradualist approach to subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms had been tested before and failed to produce any significant outcomes.  

Morka said Atiku’s preferred managed-floating system unfairly favoured opportunists and cronies, who exploited and fleeced the system for personal gain to the extreme detriment of the Nigerian people.The APC spokesman stressed, “Atiku’s gradualist model did not address Nigeria’s problems of old, did not fundamentally alter the structure of our economy, and cannot address our current, more complex, challenges.

“In a rational manner, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),has continued to intervene in the foreign exchange market, to provide some liquidity and reduce pressure on our local currency.

“Atiku’s proposed Economic Stimulus Fund and Infrastructure Development Unit is opaque, lacking clarity and concrete implementation plans.

“He touts his five-point agenda that aims to restore unity, rebuild the economy, tackle insecurity, and provide qualitative education but bare on detail of how these may be achieved.

“It is now clear for all to see that Atiku’s stale policy prescription has got nothing on the robust economic policy framework now under implementation by President Tinubu’s administration.”