APC slams Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai over criticism of Tinubu’s economic policies
By Kunle Sanni
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized prominent political figures—Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar, and Nasir El-Rufai—accusing them of launching self-serving attacks against President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party dismissed recent remarks made by the trio at a public lecture in Abuja—organized to mark Amaechi’s 60th birthday—as “a desperate attempt to return to power” and “preserve a rent-seeking system that enriched them at the nation’s expense.”
The APC rejected claims made at the event that the Tinubu administration was “weaponizing poverty,” describing the accusations as baseless and hypocritical.
“These three individuals—Amaechi, Atiku, and El-Rufai—have held significant power since 1999 but failed to address Nigeria’s structural economic problems or poverty,” Morka said. “They now parade themselves as advocates of the poor after decades of misgovernance, wasteful expenditure, and rent-seeking.”
The party accused Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, of spending 24 years in government without a notable record of addressing poverty.
“When Amaechi declared, ‘I am hungry,’ it must be understood as desperation to return to the patronage system that sustained him,” the statement said.
On Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the APC argued that their wealth was derived from the same import-driven economy they now criticize. Atiku, a former Customs officer, and Obi, a well-known importer, “benefited from a flawed economic model that undermined local production and worsened poverty,” Morka stated.
The party defended President Tinubu’s reforms—particularly the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of exchange rates—saying these policies are aimed at correcting long-standing distortions in the economy.
