• Describes them as trio united in desperation for power

 

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has lambasted the trio of Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, rejecting their allegation that the government of President Bola Tinubu is “weaponizing” poverty by not eradicating the scourge in two years.

APC described them as a trio united in desperation for power, mocking them for failing to eradicate poverty during a quarter of a century they have been in power.

The three former APC chieftains made the statements at a public lecture held in Abuja last weekend to mark the 60th birthday anniversary celebration, Amechi, former governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation. 

Responding to their claims, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, lamented that the celebration had dissolved into an occasion for the leading displaced rent-seekers to showcase their frenzied desperation to grab power purely for their self aggrandizement.

The ruling party also accused them of selling national assets to their cronies for mere pittance, and engaging in corrupt and wasteful expenditures in their states.

APC further claimed that while  Atiku, a former Custom Officer, and Peter Obi, a successful importer, reaped enormous benefits from the old system, their criticisms reek of special interest masqueraded as concern for the people.

“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,” the statement reads.

“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 behaviour, 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,” the party claimed.  

Explaining their individual involvements, the ruling party notes: “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 is 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.

“Nigerians see right through their disruptive politicking. Amaechi and his cohorts are losing their grip on the economy.

“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,” the party notes in the statement.

While rejecting the claims, APC noted: “On the 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 criticising 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.

“Indubitably, in two years, President Tinubu has demonstrated 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.

“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,” the statement added.