The Presidency has sharply criticized former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for his outspoken criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, as reported by Vanguard.
The Presidency accused Atiku of assuming the role of
“opposition-in-chief” and asserted that his claims about the government’s policies creating intense cost of living pressures are unfounded.
The critique was conveyed through a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, titled
“Atiku Abubakar and his new hobby.”
The Presidency contended that Atiku, having failed in his bid to become the President, is now actively positioning himself as the primary opposition figure against President Tinubu and his government.
The statement characterized Atiku’s interventions on the economy and other public matters as
“pedestrian and uninformed,” asserting that he lacks a substantial contribution to national discourse.
Atiku’s latest comments on the state of the economy were labeled as an “uncharitable commentary,
” with the Presidency maintaining that President Tinubu’s administration is actively working to reshape the economy for sustained prosperity.
The accusation of hypocrisy was leveled against Atiku, emphasizing that while he criticizes President Tinubu for alleged poor responses to the nation’s challenges, he failed to present superior policy options during his presidential campaign.
The statement highlighted a consensus among major candidates, including Atiku and President Tinubu, on ending the fuel subsidy regime and fixing multiple exchange rates.
However, it underscored a divergence in their approaches, specifically in the matter of selling national assets like NNPC Limited.
The Presidency asserted that President Tinubu promptly removed the fuel subsidy from the onset of his administration, announcing efforts to harmonize exchange rates.
It claimed that since then, the economic team has been diligently working to streamline rates and eliminate the arbitrage that multiple exchange rate windows allowed.
The release challenged Atiku’s credibility, urging him to offer constructive policy alternatives rather than engaging in what it described as mere criticism for political gain.
The statement also emphasized that President Tinubu inherited a weakened economy that required comprehensive reforms to ensure survival and set the nation on a path of growth and prosperity.
The statement released by the Presidency provides further insights into President Bola Tinubu’s approach to economic reforms, addressing specific claims made by former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
According to the statement, President Tinubu has openly acknowledged that the reforms implemented by his government might cause immediate challenges but are anticipated to pave the way for prosperity in the medium and long terms.
The release highlighted the support President Tinubu received from reputable local and international agencies, excluding Atiku from this commendation.
It portrayed these agencies as recognizing a positive, realistic, and sustainable policy trajectory under the Tinubu administration.
Challenging Atiku’s assertions, the statement refuted claims that the private sector is shrinking and that multinational companies are leaving the country in large numbers.
It argued that these claims lack factual basis, emphasizing that recent comparative cost of living indices indicate Nigerians still enjoy the lowest cost of living in Africa.
The statement criticized Atiku for what it perceived as mere political rhetoric aimed at gaining popularity without providing concrete policy alternatives.
It urged him, as the presumed leader of the opposition, to articulate what he would have done differently if he had been elected President.
“His claim that the government’s policies have created intense cost of living pressures are also not grounded on facts as recent comparative cost of living indices show that Nigerians still enjoy the lowest cost of living in Africa.
“Instead of mouthing platitudes every time in a bid to earn cheap political mileage, Alhaji Atiku who presumes himself as the leader of opposition should tell Nigerians what he would have done better if he had been elected President,” the statement reads.
Turning to the economic challenges inherited by President Tinubu, the statement called for Atiku’s honesty in acknowledging the weakened state of the economy.
It highlighted decades of significant fiscal deficits, a low revenue base, high external and domestic debts, and an immense debt service burden.
The national budget in 2023, according to the statement, allocated a staggering 97 percent of revenue to debt servicing, leaving minimal resources for capital investment, hindering growth and job creation.
Faced with this dire economic reality, the statement argued that President Tinubu confronted a difficult choice between political and economic costs of reforms versus the risks of economic recession.
The Tinubu administration reportedly opted for the former, aiming to keep the economy afloat and steer it toward growth and prosperity.
“Confronted with this grim economic reality, President Tinubu faced a difficult choice of balancing the political and economic costs of reforms against the risks of economic recession.
“His government chose the former, to keep the economy afloat and set it back on the path of growth and prosperity.”