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Shettima’s economic rescue claim indicts Buhari, APC -ADC
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have pledged to move beyond publicising President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms to ensuring that Nigerians feel their benefits, urging transport operators using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to pass their savings on to passengers through lower fares.
“So we are not going to only sit here and sing the songs of reform,” Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, declared after briefing Tinubu at his Lagos residence.
His remarks came as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council challenged Vice President Kashim Shettima’s claim that Tinubu saved Nigeria from economic collapse, describing it as an indictment of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.
Uzodimma said the governors had taken their cue from Tinubu’s recent national broadcast and were focused on translating the administration’s policies into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
“The reform policy has moved from implementation to ensuring that the people of Nigeria get the dividends of the reform policy itself,” he said.
Citing transportation, he urged operators benefiting from cheaper CNG to reduce fares in line with their operating costs.
“The transporters and commuters should also be responsible in ensuring that since the cost of transportation has been reduced by the introduction of CNG, that they should now also reduce the fare they charge passengers. That way, it becomes a win-win situation,” he stated.
The PGF chairman linked the reforms to improved finances in Imo State, recalling that the government previously struggled to fund its operations after paying salaries.
“Today, we pay salaries as we do and we have money to do all the achievements that we have recorded in the state,” he said.
He described his meeting with Tinubu as “a quality conversation,” adding that the governors would intensify public engagement on the administration’s policies while working to ensure that their benefits reached ordinary Nigerians.
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However, the ADC campaign council argued that the administration could not distance itself from the APC’s record under Buhari while claiming to have rescued the country.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the council said Shettima’s assertion that Nigeria was previously “heading to Caracas” raised questions about the ruling party’s stewardship.
“Vice President Shettima’s statement is self-indicting. If Nigeria was heading to Caracas under Buhari, it means Buhari and the APC deceived Nigerians for eight years.
“And if that is the case, why should Nigerians believe Tinubu, who is of the same APC stock and was a major promoter and defender of the Buhari administration?” it asked.
The council said Nigerians judged the APC by its collective record, accusing the party of failing to address deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate electricity and the rising cost of living.
“Our roads are no longer motorable, there is no electricity, our institutions have collapsed. But what concerns ordinary Nigerians today is food, food and food, not baseless propaganda,” it stated.
It rejected Shettima’s assessment, alleging that Tinubu’s policies had deepened economic hardship.
“President Tinubu has not saved Nigeria from collapse; he has pushed the country deeper into economic ruin, marked by unprecedented hunger, hyperinflation, naira devaluation, insecurity, mass unemployment and excruciating cost of living.
“Nigerians are not heading to Caracas; under the APC, Nigerians are already living the Caracas experience in their own country,” it said.
The ADC also questioned Shettima’s promise to deploy 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses and electric taxis under an e-logistics programme “in the coming weeks.”
Recalling an earlier government promise that transportation costs would fall by October 1, 2026, the council urged Nigerians to judge the administration by its delivery rather than fresh assurances.
