Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu for holding the opposition responsible for hunger and poverty in Nigeria, arguing that the administration should take responsibility for the country’s economic challenges.
Tinubu had on Saturday blamed his political rivals for the hardship Nigerians were experiencing while addressing supporters at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign flag-off rally in Kaduna.
“I hear my opponent talking about hunger, poverty. Who created it? They did! They created the hunger, they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” the President said.
Reacting, Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said Nigerians had every right to question the ruling party over the rising cost of living, poverty, insecurity and government spending.
In a statement released on Saturday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the APC could not shift responsibility for the country’s difficulties to the opposition after years in power.
“Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia. The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years.
“Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Atiku maintained that government decisions had contributed to the financial pressure on households and businesses, insisting that the impact of the administration’s policies could not be dismissed by blaming political opponents.
“The hardship your administration has brought upon Nigerians is real. You cannot deny it by blaming others,” he said.
The former vice president also questioned the manner in which Tinubu commissioned the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, alleging that the decision to perform the ceremony from a stadium raised concerns about the project’s completion.
“Your decision to commission the unfinished Abuja to Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium shows how far removed you are from the daily reality of Nigerians. A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon-cutting ceremony,” he said.
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He challenged the President to explain the consequences of his administration’s economic measures, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the depreciation of the naira.
“Which administration removed the petrol subsidy and watched the naira fall from about ₦471 to ₦1,329 to the dollar?” Atiku asked.
He also cited a World Bank estimate projecting that 63 per cent of Nigerians would be living below the national poverty line in 2026.
Beyond the economy, Atiku raised questions about federal budgeting and public expenditure. These included the extension of the 2024 budget into 2025, the operation of a separate 2025 budget and spending recorded under energy security.
He specifically demanded explanations for the ₦7.13tn reportedly recorded under “energy security” in 2024 and ₦11.2tn in pipeline-related spending by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
“Nigerians deserve to know who received these sums and what was delivered,” he said.
Atiku also called for clarification over what he described as a $12.4bn gap in Nigeria’s external accounts in the first half of 2026 and a $22.5m payment listed as “other charges” on the Abu Dhabi financing facility.
He linked these financial concerns to Nigeria’s security challenges, asking the Federal Government to account for continued killings, kidnappings and the displacement of residents in communities across the country.
“These are the questions Nigerians are asking while your government blames the opposition,” he said.
Atiku argued that the administration should be assessed based on its record in office rather than its explanations for the country’s difficulties.
“You cannot govern for three years, make life harder, and then blame others for describing the hardship. You asked who created the hunger. Nigerians are asking what you have done to end it.
“The 2027 presidential election will be a referendum on your record. Nigerians have felt the cost of your leadership in their homes, markets and communities,” he added.