The ruling party said criticism of the government’s policies was not enough, arguing that Atiku, the ADC presidential candidate, should tell Nigerians how he intends to address the country’s economic problems and improve their living standards.
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to present detailed alternatives to the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The APC spokesperson spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday while responding to criticism of the Tinubu administration’s handling of the economy.
“You know, he should be telling Nigerians exactly what he plans to do to improve the lives of Nigerians,” Mr Morka said, adding Atiku had yet to present a detailed policy alternative to the measures introduced by the Tinubu administration.
Mr Morka particularly defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying all the major presidential candidates in the 2023 election had supported its removal.
“All of those who ran in that election were unanimous in their promise to Nigerians to remove fuel subsidies. This president did that,” he said.
The APC spokesperson acknowledged that Nigerians were experiencing hardship but argued that the reforms were necessary to address structural problems that had accumulated over several years.
“Our country was broke. So when you say things are hard today because we had to take some correctional measures to fix problems that have been there for decades,” he said.
Mr Morka also rejected the argument that the reforms had worsened the country’s economic position, saying the economy was now on a stronger footing than when Mr Tinubu assumed office.
“The country, the economy is today by far better, standing on stronger footing than it did when this president came along,” he said.
The APC publicist also questioned how Atiku would finance any proposal to restore or expand subsidies.
He argued that promises to reduce the cost of petrol, electricity or other essential services would have financial implications and should be accompanied by a clear funding plan.
“Any promise you make, there’s a cost to it,” Mr Morka said.
His comments come amid Atiku’s criticism of the government’s economic policies and calls for measures to reduce the burden of rising living costs.
Morka defends naira reforms
Mr Morka also defended the government’s foreign exchange reforms, particularly the harmonisation of exchange rates.
He argued that the previous system did not accurately reflect the value of the naira and said the government’s decision to harmonise the rates was necessary to improve the country’s economic prospects.
“When the government harmonised the exchange rates, that was necessary from an economic point of view to give Nigeria a fighting chance of economic recovery,” he said.
Mr Morka said the administration should be assessed against the economic conditions it inherited, insisting that its reforms were beginning to improve the country’s macroeconomic position.
“The average Nigerian understands that without the policies of this government, we won’t even have a country,” he said.
He also dismissed comparisons between Atiku and Mr Tinubu, pointing to what he described as the president’s record in office.
“Comparing Atiku Abubakar with the president who has a record, as we speak, demonstrable record of transforming the economy of this country, I think that’s a ridiculous comparison,” Mr Morka said.
