The President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government and former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, faced backlash over policy statements and claims they made this week.
The Federal Government had announced the launch of a $1 billion social protection initiative aimed at moving vulnerable Nigerians from dependence on temporary palliatives to sustainable pathways of economic empowerment and self-reliance.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu disclosed this at the launch of the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project and four other initiatives designed to strengthen the country’s humanitarian response and poverty reduction plan.
She said the five initiatives, although serving different purposes, shared the objective of improving the well-being of vulnerable individuals, families and communities across the country.
However, opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleged that the programme is designed to influence voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to ADC, the programme is a panic reaction to the proposal by its presidential candidate, Atiku, to introduce targeted production subsidies to reduce the cost of living if elected in 2027.
It is alleged that the government is now attempting to “buy Nigerians back” with a hastily introduced palliative programme ahead of the election.
The ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also questioned the source of the $1 billion, asking why the government had allegedly taken three years to respond to Nigerians’ hardship.
“For three years, Nigerians have cried under the weight of food prices, transport costs and collapsing purchasing power… Now that elections are approaching, it has suddenly found $1 billion for the poor,” he said.
Similarly, NDC questioned the timing of the programme unveiling, though, saying it welcomed any genuine intervention aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, argued that the closeness of the general election made the development open to political interpretation.
Also, the SDP described the initiative as a voter-inducement strategy packaged as an empowerment programme.
The party’s spokesman, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the intervention amounted to “a household votes prospecting outreach,” adding that such an initiative could not guarantee electoral victory.
Nevertheless, the ruling APC debunked the opposition’s claims, insisting that the proximity of next year’s polls does not mean the government should suspend its responsibilities to Nigerians.
The Director of Publicity at APC headquarters, Bala Ibrahim, said the Federal Government has a duty to continue implementing programmes designed to improve citizens’ welfare, regardless of the electoral calendar.
On the other hand, APC berated Atiku over his pledge to restore Nigeria’s petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Atiku, during a Facebook Live session, said: “…if I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money.”
But in his reaction, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the ADC presidential flag-bearer’s declaration as desperation taken too far.
Morka, in a post on his X, said it was unfortunate that the former Vice President, Atiku, backflipped from his 2023 support for fuel subsidy removal to a promise to restore the fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Moreso, APC flayed Atiku over the allegation that those in power “stole the economy” after allegedly stealing the 2023 election.
