The presidency on Sunday accused former vice president Atiku Abubakar of harbouring a deep sense of envy towards President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.
It said in a lengthy critique that since his defeat in the 2023 Presidential Election, Atiku, who has failed in his bid for the presidency six times, has seemingly shifted his focus away from his own party’s internal struggles to a relentless campaign undermining the Tinubu administration.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga speculated that Atiku’s repeated criticisms of Tinubu stem from a lingering sense of frustration with his own political failures.
According to it, Atiku’s unrelenting push to revive proposals he failed to sell to Nigerians during the 2023 election campaign is viewed as an attempt to undermine the progress and reform programmes spearheaded by President Tinubu.
The statement is a promised detailed response by the presidency to Atiku’s earlier release titled “What We Would Have Done Differently,” his economic proposal.
The presidency viewed the statement as a clumsy attempt to present an alternative to Tinubu’s strategies, even as the public overwhelmingly rejected his platform last year.
Onanuga pointed out that analysts had argued that rather than offering credible solutions to the country’s economic and social challenges, Atiku’s critiques are mere rehashes of ideas that were poorly received in 2023.
He added that his focus on consultations and hypothetical scenarios further underscores a lack of urgency in addressing Nigeria’s immediate needs, needs that President Tinubu has already set to work on.
The presidential spokesman said in his analysis that Atiku failed to engage meaningfully with the pressing economic realities facing Nigeria.
He said his proposals suggest a fundamental misunderstanding of the scale of the nation’s problems, and his insistence on prolonged consultations rather than swift action shows an alarming disconnect from the urgency of the moment.
He said President Tinubu, on the other hand, came to office with a clear action plan.
He noted that his decisive approach to tackling economic woes, such as the removal of the fuel subsidy, has started to yield significant results. The statement further said that the Tinubu administration’s focus on revitalising Nigeria’s economy has already seen improvements in revenue generation, with non-oil tax collections by the Federal Inland Revenue Service nearly doubling in the first half of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
These reforms have also positively impacted state governments, with many states raising the minimum wage for their workers, the presidency maintained.
It observed that, in stark contrast, Atiku’s economic ideas appear to be a mixture of outdated proposals that would do little to address the pressing needs of Nigerians.
It said his insistence on a “managed float” exchange rate, for instance, is eerily similar to the failed policies of previous administrations that stifled economic growth through currency manipulation and forex subsidies.
On the fuel subsidy debate, the presidency was of the view that Atiku has also been vocal in his criticism of the removal of the fuel subsidy, a key aspect of President Tinubu’s reform agenda.
According to the government, his proposed alternative, a phased-out approach to subsidy removal has been widely discredited.
The statement pointed out that history has shown that such gradualist approaches have proven ineffective in the past, especially when implemented in economies like Nigeria’s.
Comparing Tinubu’s approach to it, the statement added that his bold move to completely eliminate the fuel subsidy is seen as a necessary step towards long-term fiscal sustainability.
It recalled that as of mid-2023, the cost of fuel in Nigeria had reached unsustainable levels, with the government spending more on subsidies than it was earning in oil revenue.
It argued that the removal of this subsidy has saved the country an estimated N5.4 trillion, which is being redirected toward infrastructure development and social intervention programmes that aim to support the most vulnerable Nigerians.
The statement said one of the most glaring inconsistencies in Atiku’s political career is his repeated call for the privatisation of Nigeria’s refineries.
It asserted that as vice president, Atiku oversaw the sale of several national assets to private entities at prices far below their actual value, noting these sales have often been described as a fire sale of Nigeria’s patrimony, leaving the country with little to show for it.
According to the presidency, today, as president, Tinubu has taken a different approach by focusing on the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries while supporting the development of modular refineries and the Dangote Refinery.
It explained that this strategy aims not only to boost domestic production but also to reduce reliance on foreign exchange for fuel imports, helping to stabilise the economy in the long term.
It said Atiku’s calls to privatise the refineries once again are seen as uninformed and out of touch with Nigeria’s current economic needs. The presidency opined that the proposed sale of these refineries, many of which are not operating at full capacity, would be a step backwards for the country, especially when considering the low bids for these assets in the past.
It maintained that Atiku’s critiques of corruption within Nigeria’s National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) ring hollow, especially when considering his own history.
The presidency recalled that during his tenure as vice president, Atiku faced numerous allegations of corruption, some of which involved his family members and business associates.
Onanuga alleged that given this history, many Nigerians find it hard to take Atiku’s anti-corruption rhetoric seriously.
“The fact that he is now attempting to position himself as a moral authority on the issue, especially in the wake of his own questionable actions, only serves to further erode his credibility,” the statement said.
The presidency further maintained that ultimately, Atiku’s recent actions appear to be driven more by personal ambition and a deep sense of entitlement than a genuine desire to improve Nigeria.
It said his ongoing attempts to discredit President Tinubu’s administration, rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, suggest that he has not come to terms with his rejection in the 2023 election.
It said rather than acknowledging the progress being made under Tinubu, Atiku’s continued political posturing only distracts from the real issues facing Nigeria.
“His inability to offer realistic solutions to the nation’s challenges, coupled with his fixation on hypothetical scenarios, leaves much to be desired,” the presidency asserted.
The statement said, as the presidency has pointed out, Nigerians are more interested in tangible results than in the empty promises and distractions being peddled by a sore loser.
It explained that the Tinubu administration remains focused on delivering meaningful reforms, addressing the country’s economic challenges, and improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
It admonished that Atiku, for his part, would be better served by engaging in a more honest and constructive political discourse, rather than continuing to indulge in the politics of envy and distraction. (Tribune)