Amaechi, Atiku El’Rufai, united in desperation for power-APC
By Tom Okpe
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has accussed the trio of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El’Rufai and former Governor of Rivers State and Minisiter of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of uniting in desperation for self serving power.
The ruling Party also noted its strongly rejection of what it described as baseless allegation that the APC Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was ‘weaponizing’ poverty by not eradicating the scourge in two years, a feat they, failed to achieve during a quarter of a century in power.
These statements were reportedly made at a public lecture held in Abuja on Saturday, May 31, 2025, to mark the 60th birthday anniversary celebration of Chief Rotimi Amaechi.
The Party further stated that the celebration quickly dissolved into an occasion for Amaechi, Abubakar, and El-Rufai, leading displaced rent seekers to showcase their frenzied desperation to grab power, purely for their self aggrandizement.
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In its reaction in a statement on Monday, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka said: “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. 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 revealed in mindless rent-seeking behavior, 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.
“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.
“¹Nigerians 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.
“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 criticizing 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.”
He further stressed that 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.
“Meanwhile, 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.
“Our trade balances are seeing a drastic improvement, with a sharp decline in imports and a steep rise in exports, reporting impressive trade surpluses and economic growth rate of 4.6 percent in the last quarter of 2024, representing the highest growth rate in a decade, amid significant decline in global price of crude oil.
“This turnaround is a direct testament to the Government’s steadfast efforts to promote local production, entrepreneurship, and economic diversification, ultimately paving the way for a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous economy.
“President Tinubu has genuinely prioritized the best interest of Nigerians over any political electoral calculation. The administration’s reforms may have transient higher cost of living implications challenges, but they are indispensable to securing a more sustainable economy that rewards hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
“Mr President is on course, and will not be distracted by the selfish partisan rambling of some hardened political opportunists and economic exploiters only bent on preserving the old inefficient and permissive economic system that fed them at the expense of the common good of all,” Morka added.
