ADC to Shettima: Your claim that Tinubu saved Nigeria’s economy from collapse, an indictment of APC

Accuses President of pushing Nigeria deeper into economic ruin

Says anyone telling Tinubu that economy was “turning the corner” is either deceiving him or in denial

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Sunday, criticised Vice-President Kashim Shettima over his claim that President Bola Tinubu saved Nigeria from economic collapse.

Recall that Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday said Nigerians should appreciate the difficult decisions taken by Tinubu since assuming office, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of multiple exchange rates.

Shettima said the economy was “teetering on the verge of collapse” when Tinubu assumed office, comparing the country’s economy to “the road to Caracas”.

But In a statement issued on Sunday, Kola Ologbondiyan, director of media and publicity the ADC presidential campaign council, said Shettima’s assertion that Nigeria was heading towards “Caracas” before Tinubu assumed office was an indictment of the All Progressives Congress-led Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“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?” the statement read.

Ologbondiyan said the APC could not disown its own record, adding that Tinubu had repeatedly defended the Buhari administration and assured Nigerians that his government would build on the legacy of the late former president.

“But Nigerians do not know Buhari as an individual; Nigerians know APC. It is the APC, on whose platform President Tinubu is seeking a second term, that has failed Nigerians for almost 12 years and is undeserving of another four years,” he said.

Ologbondiyan accused the APC government of failing across several sectors, citing the state of roads, electricity, public institutions and the rising cost of living.

He said the immediate concern of Nigerians is not political propaganda but access to affordable food and basic necessities.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

The ADC campaign council spokesperson said Nigerians were already experiencing what Shettima described as the “Caracas” scenario, not merely heading towards it.

In another development, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s assessment of the economy, arguing the administration cannot promise Nigerians prosperity after three years of hardship.

Abdullahi spoke on Arise TV on Sunday, days after Tinubu said in his Independence Day address that Nigeria had moved from the “age of reform” to an “age of prosperity”.

The ADC spokesperson said the party’s criticism of the government was based on its engagement with Nigerians, rather than simply its position as an opposition party.

“When we say these things, it’s not really because we are in the opposition or we just want to criticise the government policy

 “It’s because we are listening to the people, and we are connected to the people, and we engage with them on a daily basis,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi said anyone telling Tinubu that the economy was “turning the corner” and that the foundations had been laid for prosperity was either deceiving the president or in denial.

 “Whoever is telling the president, or is the one telling himself, that the economy is turning the corner and that the foundation is now solid and that we can then look forward to the brighter future when we vote for him again, I think that person is deceiving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, or he himself is in denial,” he said.

He said the economic reality for most Nigerians remained difficult, with income being eroded by the cost of petrol and energy.

“The reality for the majority of Nigerians today is very stark. Whatever the amount of money they earn as salaries, or they earn from their businesses, is being consumed by the price of fuel and the cost of energy, and it’s making meaningless whatever income they are getting,” Abdullahi said.

According to him, Nigerians were experiencing severe hardship as a result of government policies.

“So, Nigerians today are going through the kind of hardship they probably have never experienced before as a direct consequence of government policies,” he said.

Abdullahi said Tinubu should take a realistic assessment of the country’s situation as the 2027 election approaches.

He said the president should acknowledge if his policies have failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations rather than asking citizens to wait for better times.

“The people today are against our policies, and the government exists to make life better for the people. Has this government, in any way, made life better for the people? The answer is no,” the ADC spokesperson said.

Tinubu had said in his Independence Day address that his administration could not erase in four years challenges that had accumulated over several generations but could change the country’s trajectory.

The president said his administration was building an economy that would lift people out of poverty while protecting vulnerable Nigerians.

“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” Tinubu said.

However, Abdullahi likened the president’s message to the practice of selling electronic goods without allowing customers to test them before purchase.

“So, what the president is selling us in his Independence speech is like those people who used to sell electronics in Oshodi; they called it no testing,” he said.

“So, you buy the electronics, and you don’t test it. When you get home, you realise that you’ve been sold a shell.”

Abdullahi said Tinubu’s promise of future prosperity amounted to asking Nigerians to endure hardship now in exchange for better living conditions after another electoral victory.

“That’s what the president is trying to sell to us. He’s trying to sell to us a no-testing electoral promise.

“Oh, the last four years, three years – don’t worry. It’s the hard part. When you vote for me again, then you will begin to enjoy life.’ I don’t think any Nigerian believes that. I don’t think even the president believes that,” he added.