2027: Atiku, Amaechi, El-Rufai hungry for state resources — APC

•2027 will decide Tinubu’s fate, ex-VP replies APC

By Omeiza Ajayi & Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA— The All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday lashed out at the trio of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and ex-governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing them of weaponising poverty in their desperate attempt to return to feeding off on the state.

APC said it strongly rejects the baseless allegation that the APC government of President Bola Tinubu is “weaponising” poverty by not eradicating the scourge in two years, a feat the trio 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, former governor of Rivers State.

“But the celebration quickly dissolved into an occasion for Amaechi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai leading displaced rent-seekers to showcase their frenzied desperation to grab power purely for their self-aggrandizement,” said party spokesman, Felix Morka.

APC noted that the 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 revelled in mindless rent-seeking behaviour, 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.

“Take the case of Amaechi, the celebrant, who served for an unbroken total of 24 years – eight years as speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as governor of Rivers State, and eight years as Minister.

‘’That’s about a quarter of a century of freeloading by Amaechi on state resources, with absolutely no record of attempting to combat poverty in his Rivers State or the country.

“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.

“Nigerians 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 find its real value that created the economic conditions of poverty the present administration is now addressing,” said Morka.

He said Atiku, a former Customs officer, and Peter Obi, a successful importer, reaped enormous benefits from the old system, adding that their criticisms reek of special interest masqueraded as concern for the people.

“The criticisms variously levelled by Amaechi, Atiku, El-Rufai and Peter Obi mask a shameless attempt to perpetuate and cling to the old rent-seeking economy that enriched them at the expense of the Nigerian people.

“As beneficiaries of the corrupt and inefficient economic system, they are discomforted that Tinubu’s reforms are dismantling the insidious and permissive system that enabled and sustained their reckless plunder and exploitation of the economy,” APC stated.

2027 will decide Tinubu’s fate — Atiku

Replying APC last night, the former Vice President declared that the 2027 general elections will serve as a referendum on President Tinubu’s administration.

His Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, who made this assertion in a chat with Vanguard in Abuja, stated that Atiku’s efforts are driven by Nigerians’ aspirations for a better life.

“It’s clear that these people were never prepared for governance. All they’re interested in is politics.

“They’ve gone to extreme lengths to ensure the demise of progress. Every action they’ve taken contradicts the very essence of democracy,” he said.

Ibe criticised the Tinubu administration’s inefficiency, citing the completion of only 30 kilometres of a 700-kilometre road in two years as an example.

“They rolled out all the drums and celebrated completing a mere 4% of the project. Isn’t that absurd? Such irresponsibility! The money spent on that celebration could have been used to build several more kilometres of that road,” he exclaimed.

Highlighting Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic conditions, Ibe noted that the country had become the poverty capital of the world and now leads Africa in child malnutrition.

“People are hungry. For the first time, even those who can afford to buy a ram for Eid can be counted on one hand. Someone told me people are pooling money together just to buy a ram and partake in the celebration,” he lamented.

Ibe emphasised that Atiku’s actions are driven by Nigerians’ desire for a better life, not personal gain, saying “His Excellency’s efforts are driven by Nigerians’ yearnings for a better life; not because he wants to regain access to state resources. Absolutely not.’’

He also defended Atiku’s integrity, contrasting his business achievements with the records of his critics. Where were these critics when he was already well-established long before democracy began in 1999?

“Atiku has run multi-million-dollar businesses, employed people, and invested his own resources into his campaigns. He’s not looking to exploit state funds like they are,” Ibe stated. He urged the APC to focus on governance, rather than its obsession with Atiku’s activities.

“It’s time they used the remainder of their term to focus on improving Nigerians’ lives, instead of obsession with what Atiku Abubakar is or isn’t doing,” he said.

The 2027 elections, Ibe asserted, would be a decisive moment for Nigeria, declaring that “the next election will be between Tinubu and the rest of Nigeria.’’

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