The All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a scathing rebuttal to recent criticisms from prominent Nigerian politicians Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar, and Nasir El-Rufai, accusing them of hypocrisy, failed leadership, and self-serving political ambition.
In a press statement released from its national secretariat in Abuja, the ruling party described the trio as “a coalition of displaced rent-seekers” who are desperate to reclaim power not to serve Nigerians, but to protect their personal and political interests.
The APC’s response followed remarks reportedly made during a public lecture in Abuja on May 31, 2025, marking the 60th birthday of former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. According to the statement, the event became a political platform where Amaechi, Atiku (a former Vice President), and El-Rufai (former Kaduna State Governor and FCT Minister) launched attacks against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of failing to address poverty.
Felix Morka, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said the accusations were “baseless” and amounted to an attempt by the trio to “cling to the old rent-seeking economy that enriched them at the expense of the Nigerian people.”
“Their criticisms mask a shameless attempt to perpetuate and cling to the old rent-seeking economy… They had 24 years in power but failed to address the structural challenges that stifled the economy and worsened poverty,” Morka said.
The statement particularly targeted Amaechi, describing his 24-year political career—from Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly to Governor, and then Minister—as an era of “freeloading on state resources” with no record of meaningful poverty alleviation.
In one striking passage, the APC mocked Amaechi’s reported declaration of being “hungry,” interpreting it as a metaphor for his desperation to return to the corridors of power and access to state resources.
The party argued that criticisms of Tinubu’s economic reforms—especially the floating of the naira and the removal of subsidies—stemmed from discomfort among entrenched elites now forced to adapt to a market-driven economy.
“They are losing their grip on the economy. Accustomed to fleecing the economy, they are now compelled by Tinubu’s reforms to adapt to a new reality where hard work, productivity, and innovation are rewarded,” the statement added.
The APC credited Tinubu with bold steps toward economic restructuring, including tackling the naira’s overvaluation and removing structural barriers to growth. It claimed that, in just two years, the Tinubu administration had shown more political will to combat poverty than any previous government in Nigeria’s recent history.
The statement also roped in Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, calling both him and Atiku “beneficiaries of the corrupt and inefficient economic system.” It accused them of masquerading special interest agendas as concern for the poor.
Concluding the statement, the APC emphasized that Tinubu’s administration would not be distracted by “selfish partisan rambling” and vowed to continue dismantling the old systems of patronage that it says sustained corruption and economic stagnation.
