The trio of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Malam Nasiru El-Rufai (Kaduna) came under scathing attack by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was over what the ruling party called a baseless allegation that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration has weaponised poverty.
At the weekend, the three opposition figures accused Tinubu of failing to eradicate the scourge of poverty in the last two years of his administration.
They spoke in Abuja at 60th birthday anniversary of Amaechi, who was Transportation Minister between 2015 and 2023.
APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, who described the allegation as baseless, said the trio should be ashamed for failing to achieve the feat attained in just two years during their stint on the corridors of power for a quarter of a century.
In a statement, Morka noted that instead of focusing on the birthday the trio, whom he described as “leading displaced rent-seekers”, they condescended into showcasing their frenzied desperation to grab power purely for their self-aggrandizement.
The statement reads: “These three individuals have occupied Nigeria’s highest political offices between 1999 and 2023, either as vice president, governors, or ministers, among other important positions.
“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 reveled in mindless rent-seeking behavior, 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.”
Morka noted that the allegation by Amaechi and his co-voyagers was informed by the loss of grip on the economy which they have fleeced on for years.
He said: “Accustomed to fleecing the economy, they are now compelled by Tinubu’s unprecedented reforms to adapt to a new reality where hard work, productivity, and innovation are rewarded.
“Their criticisms of President Tinubu’s reforms are decidedly self-serving, driven by a desperate quest for power to satiate their voracious rent-seeking appetite, which has long stifled and denied progress to the economy.
“On 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 Custom 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.”
The party commended President Tinubu’s resilience in demonstrating 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 criticisms variously leveled 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.”
The ruling party however noted that 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.
“The harmonization of multiple exchange rates has further bolstered Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global market for goods and capital. With increased revenue, the federal, state, and local governments are now investing more in critical infrastructure, education, health, security, and social welfare.
“Importantly, states that previously struggled to pay N30, 000 minimum wage are now paying a significantly higher minimum wage of N70,000 per month. This is a testament to the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerians.
“The President’s reforms are dawning a new day for Nigeria, now witnessing economic transformation never before seen in our country’s history, driven by proper pricing of the Naira and fuel, and steadily transitioning the country from a consumption-laden to a production-oriented economic powerhouse.
“Our trade balances are seeing a drastic improvement, with a sharp decline in imports and a steep rise in exports, reporting impressive trade surpluses and economic growth rate of 4.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2024, representing the highest growth rate in a decade, amid significant decline in global price of crude oil.
“This turnaround is a direct testament to the government’s steadfast efforts to promote local production, entrepreneurship, and economic diversification, ultimately paving the way for a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous economy.
“Indications of a steadily rebounding economy are now manifest in all sectors of the economy. Local industries are booming, and our reliance on imports is plummeting. The Dangote Refinery is revolutionising the market with its products in Nigeria, while manufacturers in the South East are producing top-notch products in unprecedented quantities, generating thousands of jobs and stimulating economic growth. This progress is a monumental step towards achieving food security, industrialization, and sustainable economic growth.
“President Tinubu has genuinely prioritized the best interest of Nigerians over any political electoral calculation. The administration’s reforms may have transient higher cost of living implications challenges, but they are indispensable to securing a more sustainable economy that rewards hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”
The party assured Nigerians that the President will not be distracted by some “selfish partisan rambling of some hardened political opportunists and economic exploiters only bent on preserving the old inefficient and permissive economic system that fed them at the expense of the common good of all.
“The best strategic interest of our economy and the good people of Nigeria must continue to trump any and all political or electoral calculations.”
