Kaduna rally: Atiku challenges Tinubu over hunger, hardship

By Luminous Jannamike Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain what his administration has done to end hunger and poverty, following the President’s claim that the opposition created the problems. Atiku said Nigerians were more concerned about the government’s record than its attempts to shift responsibility, insisting that the 2027 presidential election would put Tinubu’s handling of the economy and security under scrutiny. In a statement on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku accused the President of blaming his political opponents for hardship that had worsened under his watch. “Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia.

The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years. 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. On the economy, the ADC candidate challenged Tinubu to account for the consequences of petrol subsidy removal, the naira’s depreciation and rising poverty. “Which administration removed the petrol subsidy and watched the naira fall from about ₦471 to ₦1,329 to the dollar? ” he asked. Atiku also questioned the government’s handling of public finances and the country’s poverty levels. “Which administration has presided over a rise in poverty that led the World Bank to estimate that 63 per cent of Nigerians will be below the national poverty line in 2026? Which administration extended the 2024 budget into 2025 while…