By: Ganiyu Olayinka
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of shifting responsibility for Nigeria’s economic hardship to the opposition, saying the Federal Government must account for the effects of its policies on citizens.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, made the remarks in a statement issued on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
His response followed Tinubu’s remarks at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, where the President blamed his political opponents for hunger and poverty in the country.
“I hear my opponent talking about hunger, poverty. Who created it? They did! They created the hunger, they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” Tinubu said.
Reacting, Atiku argued that Nigerians had the right to demand accountability from the APC-led administration over rising living costs, poverty, insecurity and public expenditure.
He said the APC had governed Nigeria at the federal level for more than a decade, including the period before Tinubu assumed office.
“Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record,” Atiku said in the statement.
The former vice president attributed the economic difficulties facing households and businesses to government policies and challenged Tinubu to account for their consequences.
Atiku Questions Road Commissioning, Economic Policies
Atiku also criticised the President’s reported decision to commission the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway from a stadium, questioning whether the road was ready for use.
“A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon-cutting ceremony,” he said, according to the statement.
He further challenged the administration to explain the impact of its decision to remove the petrol subsidy and the depreciation of the naira against the US dollar.
Atiku asked which administration removed the subsidy and presided over the naira’s reported decline from about ₦471 to ₦1,329 per dollar.
He also cited a World Bank estimate that 63 per cent of Nigerians would be living below the national poverty line in 2026.
Raises Questions Over Public Spending
The ADC presidential candidate raised concerns about federal budgeting and expenditure, including the extension of the 2024 budget into 2025, the operation of a separate 2025 budget and spending recorded under energy security.
He specifically questioned the reported expenditure of ₦7.13 trillion under energy security in 2024 and ₦11.2 trillion in pipeline-related spending by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Atiku called on the government to disclose the beneficiaries of the funds and explain the outcomes achieved.
“Nigerians deserve to know who received these sums and what was delivered,” he said.
He also demanded explanations for what he described as a $12.4 billion gap in Nigeria’s external accounts during the first half of 2026 and $22.5 million in “other charges” associated with the Abu Dhabi financing facility.
The allegations and figures cited by Atiku were not independently verified for this report.
Links Economic Hardship to Insecurity
Atiku further linked the country’s economic difficulties to persistent insecurity, asking the Tinubu administration to account for killings, kidnappings and the displacement of residents in communities across Nigeria.
“These are the questions Nigerians are asking while your government blames the opposition,” he said.
The exchange highlights the growing political dispute over responsibility for Nigeria’s economic conditions as political parties intensify their campaigns and criticism of the Federal Government.
Source: Statement by the ADC Presidential Campaign Council
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